KPM: Drakkens Demise
by Mengsk
Summary: Kim Possible has finally achieved her dream of making the cheer squad. So why is Ron being such a pain? Kim finds herself in a bigger sitch, howerver, when her father is kidnapped. Now she must rely on her true friends while finding the hero within.
1. Teaser

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible™ or any character, location or event from that said show. Or the video game of the same name. **

**Stated actors _may_ not have consented to filming.**

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_Teaser_

Kim Possible was alone in her bathroom, brushing her teeth in the mirror. Fresh up in the morning, she had yet to fix her hair or change out of her PJ's.

As Kim brushes her hind teeth thoroughly she pauses, wiggling her tongue.

She looks crossed eyed down at her nose.

_**

* * *

**_

Knock Knock Knock

"Come on Kim. We're going to be late!" Ron knocks on the bathroom door.

"_I'm coming_."

"If Barkin catches us tardy one more time, he's gonna lock us in detention and throw away the key. We'll never see daylight again."

"_I'm coming!"_

"What are you doing in there?"

"_Just brushing_."

Ron paused.

"You're not trying to touch your nose with your tongue again are you?"

"…. _No_."

"_Ugh." _Ron hits his head on the door.

* * *

**_The Kim Possible Movie_**

**Drakken's Demise**

Coming 2009

_George Clooney. Liv Tyler. Shia LeBeouf. Chris Rock. Kim Possible Movie: Drakken's Demise. Produced by Mengsk. Written & Directed by Mengsk. Voice that No One Listens To Production. 2009_

* * *


	2. Ch 1: Our Story Opens

_A few words_….

Yes, I know this is not a real movie.

**

* * *

**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible™ or any character, location or event from that said show. Or the video game of the same name.**

_**

* * *

**_

Kim Possible:

**Drakken's Demise**

Ch 1: Our Story Opens…, so meet the players.

"_Kimmie! Kimmie, where are you sweetie?"_

"Here Mom."

Dr Anne Possible walked into the backyard of their suburban home to find her four year old daughter playing in the sandbox. Both Kim and her precious _Pandaroo_ doll had more sand in their hair than a beach. Her bright pink dress was spotted in wet sand.

"Kimmie," her mother admonished. "Look at your dress. I told you to stay clean; we have a big day today."

"I'm sorr'e mommy. Pande-oo wanted to build a castle for our new friends."

"Well, you're not going to make any new friends if you look like you just crawled out of a swamp. Come on honey and we'll get you cleaned up."

Dr Possible took her daughters hand and led her inside for a wash. Inside her husband, Dr James Possible was busy on the phone.

"No Drew. I know what the RF formula can potentially…. Alright, what it _can_ do! But the toxicity…, oh, hang on one second."

James pressed the phone against his shoulder and kissed his wife. "How are my lovely ladies this morning?"

"Late. Kimmie needs a bath before her first day of Pre-school."

James smiled down at his adventurous daughter. "I see that. Panderoo too. _And_…."

James pressed a palm against his wife's obviously pregnant belly. "How's my boy doing today?"

"Girl James. Girl."

"No, boy. I can tell about these things."

A flash of annoyance crossed Anne's features. "You and Drew didn't construct a scanner did you?"

"_No…!" _James protested his innocence. "We learnt our lesson after last time."

"You better have," Anne warned. "Men."

She led her daughter upstairs while James finished his telephone conversation.

"Look Drew, I'm going to be running late today, I want to see Kimmie off. Yes I'll tell her Uncle Drew says good luck. No she's not going to have to watch out for boys yet…, don't make me paranoid."

"Pande-oo's coming too Mommy?" Kim asked her mother.

"Pandaroo needs a wash like you. I don't think he'll be dry before we leave. But don't worry honey, today you're going to make a whole lot of new friends."

...

The Possible family stood outside the local Middleton Pre-school, now with Kim in a teal dress. They were running a little late and most of the children were already inside.

"_Oowh_, I felt my baby sister kick!"

"Now Kimmie remember," Anne eyed her husband suspiciously, "it _might_ be a baby brother."

"It _might _be two," James mysteriously added.

"Don't even joke," Anne said in all seriousness.

Now that Kim was standing outside the Pre-school in was an imposing place. Without Panderoo's company she wasn't sure she could make it.

She hugged her mother's leg. "Mommy, I want to stay with you and Daddy and my baby sister."

For added emotional impact she pouted her lips. The strategy had worked before.

"Now Kimmie cub," James leant down to reassure his little angel, "if you did that you'd miss out on your first day of Pre-school."

Kim crossed her arms. "Maybe I don't wanna go."

"Kimmie," Anne said gently, "we know your first day may seem a little scary…."

"But as soon as you make a friend you'll see what a super time you're in for."

It was hard for Kim to ignore her father's infectious energy, still….

"But what if I can't make a friend?"

"Kimmie cub, there's something you must never forget."

"Always say please and thank you?"

"Yes that, but I also want you to remember that _anything is possible for a possible_!"

He gave Kimmie cub a wink.

"Ok," Kim said uncertainly.

"That's my girl." James took his daughters hand and led her inside.

...

Laughing merrily and chasing her bright red ball around the playground, Kim had already forgotten her earlier worries. Pre-school was fun. She had a nice teacher who helped her draw her family and her baby sister. She played with blocks and got a gold star for reciting the alphabet. They even took a class photo.

Kim wasn't sure if she'd made a friend yet. The other kids were nice and they all played well together. None of them were Pandaroo though. Not that the thought of friends bothered Kim right now. All that mattered was catching that big red….

"_Hey_!"

Kim skidded to a stop before of the older boys. One of them held Kim's ball.

"Give it, it was my turn!"

The boys giggled but the holding the ball held it out for her.

"Here you go."

"Please and Thank…," Kim reached for her ball.

The older boy threw it to one of his mates.

"Whoops."

"_Can't get the ball, can't get the ball_!"

Kim tried to reach for it as they threw it back and forth over her head.

"_Leave her alone_!"

Kim was on the verge of tears when the newcomer intervened. He looked goofy with his large ears, blond hair, and freckles. He also hunched a little, making him look shorter than he was. But right now his brown eyes were angry.

"It's her turn!" he declared before breaking into a lecture. "Taking turns is the basic foundation of Pre-school. The jungle law of day-care is behind us. We have structure, we have rules."

The bullies' response to his lecture was simply to pick on him instead. They surrounded him and threw the ball harshly at him.

Stinging from where the ball hit his arm the young boy told the bullies, "I'm warning you, I have an imaginary friend. He is huge."

The boy gestured with his arms to signify how towering his imaginary friend was. The bullies didn't seem to care as they pushed him to the ground.

"_Rufus!_"

Little Kim could have grabbed her ball and ran. The bullies were bigger than her. Still, she couldn't leave the one little boy who had stuck up for her.

So instead of picking up the ball, Kim picked up a rock and threw it. When it hit the bullies she picked up another one.

"Leave him alone!"

Her mommy and daddy had always said fighting was wrong. This time it felt right.

Kim entered first fight of her life, throwing stones and beating her fists on the boys' backs.

...

The fight only lasted a minute before the teacher intervened. By then Kim's teal dress was covered in dirt and both she and the bullies sported some new bruises. Each side eyed each other warily, knowing there would be a round two.

After Kim had completed her time out the young boy she had been trying to help returned her ball.

"_Wow_! You were like, like…, Allanis; Wonder Princess."

He paused for a second, "Oh, Rufus thanks you for saving me too."

"Who's Rufus?'

"My Invisible Friend. What's your name?"

"I'm Kim Possible."

"I'm Ron, wait! _Stoppable_. Ron Stoppable."

Kim giggled. "You're weird, but I like you."

The two of them giggled and played together for the rest of the day. The happy sound of their laughter was only broken once, a short time later. By the endless whine of sirens; police, ambulances and fire engines heading for the Middleton Space Centre, whirring like the world had gone mad.

...

**Middleton Space Centre**

The substance had somehow escaped containment. Joe didn't have much time before he was a dead man. He didn't have long until they were all dead.

He hurled his buffer through the window, shattering it. Being on the second floor he would have liked to find a mattress or something to break his fall.

There wasn't time.

The egghead goes first.

Without stopping to explain or ask permission Joe threw the scientist, Dr James Possible, out the window. Next he jumped down with the unconscious Dr Drew Lipsky on his back.

...

**Middleton Hospital**

Kim waved Ron goodbye at the end of the day when his mommy and daddy came to pick him up. She smiled and felt a golden warmth when Ron told his mommy all about her bravery and saving him from the bullies.

She didn't know why her mommy was late to pick her up, or why she looked so upset when she did arrive. All she said was that they were going to the hospital. That was were mommy worked.

Kim arrived at the hospital with her mother, who led her through the white corridors and explained they were going to see daddy. He had been in an accident at work.

When they reached James room Kim ran up to the side of her father's bed. Anne helped her up onto the bed where her father could give Kim a proper hug.

One of James legs was in a cast.

"It's ok dear. Nothing too serious."

"James, what happened?"

"RF-16 leaked and I took an unexpected leap out of a second story window. The janitor, Joe threw me out."

"_Oh_, James."

James had other things on his mind. "Has anybody said how Drew's doing?"

"He's alright. That bump on the head was nasty though, I don't know if he's awake yet."

"If he was awake I'm sure we would hear his complaining."

Anne squeezed her husbands shoulder and he responded by taking her hand. The joke was a valiant by failed attempt to lighten the mood.

"I don't know what's going to happen Anne," James admitted. "I think we screwed up royally this time."


	3. Ch 2: Cheerleader at Last

_Author's Note_: The opening to this chapter is a montage. We have eight years to catch up on after all.

Doing a montage is harder than you would think. Anything the montage covers is in there for a reason: either as an important plot point or because it's just plain funny.

Please do imagine Rufus with Chris Rock's voice. Go on. It's hilarious.

**WARNING,** **Important notice:** For my own piece of mind I have decided to raise the rating to T for implied death.

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible™ or any character, location or event from that said show. Or the video game of the same name.**

**Song choice for montage: Call Me, Beep Me by Christina Milian.**

_

* * *

_

A lab is covered in a dark blue gooey substance. Men in hazardous material suits spray down a lab with solvent, forcing it into retreat. One hooks a hose up to up a tank RF-16, marked with skull & cross. The goo turns white as it is killed.

_The whole operation is watched over by Joe, also in a hazardous material suit._

"_**Ooohh yeahh, yeah!"**_

"_**I'm your basic average girl,  
And I'm here to save the world.  
You can't stop me  
Cause I'm Kim Pos-si-ble." **_

_Ron and Kim play in the sandbox at pre-school. The bullies walk up to them, Kim rises to meet them… only for one to throw a red ball in the pit, smile and walk off._

_..._

_Young Kim is taking a photo with her two baby brothers. Before the photo can be taken they reach up and pull on her pig tales. The photo is taken with Kim visibly annoyed._

"_**There is nothin' I can't do  
And when danger calls  
Just know that I am on my way.  
(Know that I am on my way)"**_

_A file marked RF-16 is shelved._

_..._

_Kim leaves the dentist with braces. She is disheartened when she sees herself in a window… until Ron turns up with two vivid lines across his teeth. Kim laughs though Mrs Stoppable is clearly annoyed._

"_**It doesn't matter where or  
When there's trouble,  
If ya just call my name,  
Kim Possible." **_

_Ron puts on a chiefs apron and hat. When his mother walks in he has made an awful chocolate mess in his mother's kitchen, and a wonderfully beautiful chocolate cake._

_Ron presents the cake at Kim's 13__th__ Birthday Party. _

"_**Call me, beep me,**_

_**If ya wanna reach me,  
When you wanna page me it's okay.  
I just can't wait until I hear  
My cell phone ring!"**_

_Ron, dressed up in a suit and kippah, reads in front of a congregation._

_..._

_Kim uses a karate throw on her instructor, Joe, pinning him to the mat in a mock fight. Joe claps at her accomplishment._

_Ron attempts to throw Joe. He cannot get the instructor off the ground. _

_**Doesn't matter if it's day or night,  
Everything's gonna be alright.  
Whenever you need me baby,  
Call me, beep me,**_

_**If ya wanna reach me!"**_

_Kim and Ron sit in class as Mr Barkin hands back their latest test scores. Kim mouths a silent "yes!" when she receives an A+. _

_Ron is utterly confused by his G-_

_..._

_RF-16 is taken back off the shelf._

_..._

_Dr James Possible stares at his wedding photo._

"_**Message clear, I am here,  
(Let me reassure you)  
I'm never gonna leave you alone  
(I am on my way)."  
**_

_Kim spars with another opponent her age. _

_Instructor Joe proudly places a gold medal around her neck._

_..._

_Kim kisses a boy at school. Her braces interlock with his. They cannot pull apart._

"_**You can always count on me,  
When it gets stuck I'll help you see.  
I will help you find your way!  
(Help you find your way).  
It doesn't matter where or  
When there's trouble,  
If ya just call my name …."**_

_**(Beep Beep, Bee-deep)**_

_Kim and Ron go rollerblading around Middleton (each of them wearing a helmet, shin and elbow pad naturally). Kim leaps over a city bench, jumps down a set of steps and slides down a rail before skidding to a stop outside Club Banana. Ron follows her lead, barely manoeuvring around an occupied bench, jarring himself by skating down the steps and finally flipping over the rail, landing roughly. _

_..._

_Ron still cannot throw Joe._

"_**Call me, beep me,**_

_**If you wanna reach me,  
When ya wanna page me it's okay.  
I just can't wait until I hear  
my cell phone ring!"  
**_

_Kim is neck and neck in a tight race during athletics. Ron sits on the bleachers trying to hide a Gameboy. Barkin walks up behind him and confiscates it._

"_**Doesn't matter if it's day or night  
Everything's gonna be alright.  
Whenever you need me baby,  
Call me, beep me,**_

_**If ya wanna reach me!"**_

_Kim barely crosses the line first. Ron surprises Barkin with a leap of joy holding a stop watch._

_..._

_Ron bites down suspiciously on a burrito. His eyes light up with delight._

**…**

_**(Music stops for romantic tune while Ron eats the cheesy burrito)**_

**…**

"_**(Call me, beep me,**_

_**If you wanna reach me,  
If you wanna page me it's okay)."**_

_****__Dr James Possible, in a hazardous martial suit, places a drop of solution on a plant. It withers within seconds. _

_RF-47 crossed off a blackboard_

"_**Doesn't matter where,  
Doesn't matter when. **_

_**(Doesn't matter when)"**_

_Night vision equipment reveals Apache gunships firing on their target._

"_**I will be there for you till the very end."  
**_

_Large crowd of people burn the US flag._

_**Danger or trouble,  
I'm there on the double.  
You know that you always can call:  
Kim Possible!" **_

_The Possible's and Stoppables attend a ceremony at the local dojo. Each family has a video recorder. _

_Kim receives a black belt from her instructor, Joe._

_Ron still attempts to throw Joe. Upon failing he turns, takes a fighting pose and kicks Joe in the shin. _

_While Joe is visibly in pain, Ron completes the throw._

_Kim, the Stoppables and the Possibles looked stunned._

"_**Yeaahh yeaah."**_

"_**Call me, beep me,**_

_**If you wanna reach me,  
When you wanna page me it's okay.  
I just can't wait until I hear  
my cell phone ring!"  
**_

_James, in a hazardous martial suit, places a drop of solution on a plant. It withers within seconds. _

_RF-71 crossed off a blackboard._

_James looks disheartened._

_**Doesn't matter if it's day or night,  
Everything is gonna be alright.  
Whenever you need me,  
Whenever you need me baby!"  
**_

_Men in hazardous environments suits work on a device marked radioactive. They are manoeuvring it into a missile._

_A heavy man with an eye patch and a robotic hand observes from behind a thick glass wall._

_**Call me, beep me,**_

_**If ya wanna reach me,  
When ya wanna page me it's okay  
I just can't wait until I hear  
my cell phone ring!  
**_

_Kim practices a series of back flips in the gym._

_..._

_Zombies crawl out of air ducts. Hero blasts away with his shotgun._

_The hero is caught and torn apart._

_Holding a video game control, Ron looks annoyed._

_**Doesn't matter if it's day or night,  
Everything is gonna be alright.  
Whenever you need me baby,  
Call me, beep me,**_

_**If ya wanna reach me."**_

_****__James, in a hazardous martial suit, places a drop of solution on a plant. The plant remains unaffected_

_RF-78 receives a tick._

* * *

Ch 2: Cheerleader at Last.

James Possible sat at his customary spot at the breakfast table. He held up the morning paper to read but was clearly not focused on it. His breakfast and morning coffee were both untouched. Behind the paper he sighed, unusually downbeat.

Anne watched, leaning against the doorframe.

"Today's the big day I take it."

"_Oh_?" James put on a smile for his wife. "Hi honey. I didn't see you there."

"I'm not sure you would have seen me if I walked in wearing a tight Captain Constellation outfit."

James smile went from put on to real. "Now that's what I should day dream about."

"Drew's project?"

"Yes. Drew's project. The board meets this afternoon to approve field testing. If it works like it did in the lab…."

"You could change the world, space travel, I know."

Anne strode over and gave her husband a kiss on the forehead.

"He would be proud of you. For finishing his work."

"I just wish he were here to see it."

"_TWEEBS_!" The angry holler rang throughout the house.

"I think you should tackle this. Save your husband the added stress before he has a heart attack."

"Between her husband and children a mother's work is never done."  
Before leaving she took his plate of bacon and eggs to finish herself.

"_Hey_!"

Anne's eyes twinkled. "Better lay off before that heart attack, hone."

...

11 year old Possible twins Jim and Tim ran for the backyard and over the fence before their older sister could catch them. Two pre-positioned bicycles were waiting for them.

"Bye Kim."

"Better luck next time."

Still in her pyjamas, Kim vaulted over the fence after them but they were already away to school.

"You won't escape me!_ I know where you live_!"

Down the street, Tim and Jim discussed the object of Kim's rage this time.

"Noticed some of her Cuddle Buddies are missing?"

"Na, she's too wrapped up in her cheer practice to notice. We'll have them replaced in time."

"Knows we're reading her diary?"

"How could she? She's still thinks we only know about the two decoys."

"Tried to turn on her stereo?"

"Could be…."

"Her website?"

"Hicka, Bicka, Boo?"

"_Hoo-sha_!"

...

As Kim marched back into the house her mother met her at the back door, chewing on bacon.

"You really should learn not to yell first."

"Thanks for the advice."

"What did they do this time?"

"Trashed my website. Posted all my baby photos, dental x-ray from when I locked braces with Walter Nelson and a series of photos claiming Ron is my boyfriend."

"That last part doesn't sound so bad."

Kim eyed her mother with disgust. "Could you at least pretend to show some sympathy?"

Anne shrugged. "Better you than me."

"Thanks mom, really. Where do you keep _you're_ baby photos?"

"I'll never tell so long as those two breathe."

Kim returned to her bedroom and winched at her ruined webpage.

_Icandoanything .com_

_Babysitting, Tutoring, Yard Care, Rescuing Cats._

_Call me, beep me, if ya wanna reach me._

"I have to clean this up before Ron sees it. Or worse."

...

"_Come on Kim_!"

Kim Possible ran out her front door like lightning, snatching her backpack off the hook on the way past.

Her best friend since Pre-K waited outside for her.

The two seemed an odd pair, Kim with her fiery hair and attitude, goofy Ron with his baggy jeans and hockey jersey but two closer friends could never be found.

"Usually it's me who's running late."

"You are late."

"Depends on you're definition of late, by usual standards I'm right on time."

"Right on time to be late. Again."

"What were you doing anyway?"

"Oh, just replying to some jobs on my website."

"Hey, check this out. My parents finally let me get a pet."

Ron reached into his pants pocket and removed a tiny rodent. It was completely hairless aside from its whiskers. Instead it was covered in wrinkly, flabby pink skin as if the creature was an incalculable age. A freaky thin tale extended from its hind. In front two long fangs extended from below the snout, two more from the creatures bottom jar.

Kim stifled a scream as she jumped away.

"_Ron, that's disgusting_!_"_

The little creature stood up on its hind legs and squeaked at Kim

("_Who you calling disgusting? You aren't so good looking yourself; in the animal kingdom you'd be just a step up from a salamander. You got no tail and have those freaky opposable thumbs_!")

Ron took the creature's squeaking as a good sign. He held it out to Kim, causing her to retreat further. "Come on Kim, he likes you."

"Ron, it doesn't have any fur!'

("_Hey, here's a news flash. Neither do you! Just got that carrot bush on top of your forehead. You look like a mop._")

Ron drew the creature back away from Kim and looked sheepish. "My dad's allergic to fur. And, you know, you'd be surprised how many mammals have fur. But then I found this in the Smartymart Catalogue last week, a Naked Mole Rat! Come on, look, he's saying he want to be friends"

("_I am gonna bust you up_!")

"He's so cute. I think I'll call him Rufus."

("_I'm a girl you moron_!")

"_Oh Kim_! He says he likes the name!"

Kim was horrified. "You _understand_ it?"

"Yeah, watch. Rufus, what would you like for lunch today."

("_Plant_ _roots you fool. Didn't you read the care of mole rat manual_?")

"See, Bueno Nacho."

...

After school Kim had her long awaited tryout for the Middleton High cheerleading squad. A squad member, Monique, had leant her spare uniform so that Kim might look the part.

"Are you sweating?" Ron asked "I don't think I've seen you sweat before."

Kim gaped. Ron had said that in front of all the other girls trying out.

"_No Ron_, I am not sweating! This is just a big deal, _ok_?"

Put in his place, Ron mumbled. "I don't what the big deal is."

Before Kim could growl at him to be quiet the interviewee ahead of her ran out of the gym, failing to conceal her tears.

"_Ouch_!" Ron exclaimed. "Those sharks bite hard."

"_Kim Possible_," the call came through the still swinging shut door.

She was meant to walk inside and dazzle the judges with her agility, dexterity and skill. She was meant to dazzle those cheerleaders with an outstanding performance the way Kim dazzled everyone in everything she did. Instead she froze.

"_Ah_, Kp? They're calling for you."

She buried herself against the lockers.

"Ron, do you think I'm ready for this?"

Sensing that his friend needed comforting, Ron's voice went soft and he rubbed her shoulder.

"Hey Kim, you're a shoo-in! You've been practising for weeks and besides you're a natural gymnast. You're into sports...; you do martial arts!"

"I know but...."

Ron then began to make a list on his fingers.

"You're head of the dance decoration committee, you're on the mathletics team, you coach a little league soccer team, you volunteered to…."

"_Ron_! What if I don't cut it?"

The harsh '_Ron_' snapped him out of it. He just took her hand and looked her in the eye with his customary goofy smile.

"Hey, anything's possible for a possible right?"

...

"_Last call for Kim Possible_!"

"I'm here, _I'm_ here," Kim insisted.

The entire cheer squad waited to view her performance from the bench. The important ones to impress though were the recruiters sitting at a table in the middle of the gym, a clipboard with scores on for every girl lay in front of them.

Kim recognised the each of the three recruiters.

Amelia, head of the cheer squad and known to turn heads.

Monique, second chair of the squad and another senior. It was Monique who had witnessed Kim's athletic skill and organised her tryout. Right now she nudged Amelia with her elbow and gave Kim a wink.

"Show them what you can do girl."

The last recruiter Bonnie Rockwaller. She was only Kim's age but well known for her skill and all or nothing attitude. It was Bonnie that Kim both respected and feared the most out of the three recruiters due to her rapid rise on the squad.

The music started and Kim began her routine.

...

It was an incredible routine, not to mention purposefully designed to show off. That was want people wanted in a cheerleader right?

Kim incorporated both her kung fu, athletic skills into the routine to make it fresh. More impressive though was her use of gym equipment left out.

She began a cartwheel down the mat, switiching into back flips without stopping. Some of the girls were worried she would plow into the horse at the end of the mat. Instead she landed squarely on the bounce board flipped up and landed on it, perfectly balancing herself on one hand.

She bounced off the trampoline, performing different poses and feat as she sailed up and down. Kim even proved her skill with the gymnast uneven bars.

By the end of the routine the cheerleaders were speechless. Bonnie bit the end off a pencil she started chewing on halfway through the routine.

Shaking off her stunned expression Amelia voted, "10."

Witnessing the routine beforehand Monique was the most composed, "10 for my baby girl."

Bonnie spat out the pencil end she had bit off and stood up. She walked around the table until she stood toe to toe with Kim, staring her down with a hard expression.

Kim took a nervous step back….

Before Bonnie smirked and burst out laughing. "Welcome to the squad girl."

Bonnie gave Kim a warm congratulatory hug. The other girls in the squad laughed and ran down from the benches.

The rest of the squad formed a group hug around Kim

...

Ron waited anxiously for Kim to exit the gym. When she did it was with a confident stride.

"How'd you go?"

"No big."

**

* * *

**

Iran

"And now, thanks to our generous friends from _World Empire…"_

The speaker gestured to a heavily built man wearing an eyepatch over his left eye. The man used a mechanical hand to stroke a tiny hairless dog in his hands. His purple spandex clothing showed off his muscular build.

The man nodded back to the speaker without as much as a smile. Two similarly dressed men over his shoulder betrayed no sign of life.

"_We_ finally have the technology to fulfil our destiny. _We_ command the power of the atom. _We_ can defend our holy land from incursion by western scum!"

That finally got a smile out of the man.

The room full of technicians and interested parties cheered.

After the party was over the speaker and the man representing _World Empire _took a tour of the facility. The other two imperial agents fell into step a few feet back.

"You're _defence_ is assured. Just remember that half the weapons go to the empire."

"Half the weapons go to the empire,_ if_ the prototype works. I remember those who help me."

"My weapons department assures me the weapon they built will work. It's up to _you_ to insure the ones your people build do."

"With this shinny new facility and equipment you have provided us, how could they not?"

The representative of the empire did not like his business partner's overconfidence. "Just be cautious. Global Justice must be aware of the potential use of the items we've been supplying to you. If they discover the location of this facility…."

"Relax Gemini. I do not fear Global Justice. That pitiful excuse for western oppression would not dare attack my country."

"Never mind them!" Gemini insisted. "Fear your own government. When they learn what you've built here...."

"They'll want a piece of the action," the man laughed off Gemini's concern.

"I remember you're _Supreme Leader_ declaring a _fatwa_ against the production and stockpiling of nuclear weapons."

The concern was waved off. "Politics."

"Probably," Gemini granted, "but I doubt you're leadership would be interested in upholding your deal with _me_. Supplying weapons of mass destruction to western scum and all."

"Well then maybe one day you and I should do something about _replacing_ the old guard of this country."

The man turned and flashed a gleaming smile of confidence at Gemini. Gemini allowed a tight wolfish grin to form on his lips.

It faded when he noticed an unmoving body past the man's head, further along the corridor.

Gemini passed his little dog to one of his agents and skidded to a stop next to the fallen guard. Gemini's men drew weapons and watched the corridors. The guard was alive, but unconscious. First Gemini inspected the armour, then his weapon. Each had been cleanly and effortlessly been sliced open by four claws.

"Shego."

"You know who did this?" the other man hissed.

"I know who did this."

Gemini looked down at his metallic hand while he flexed it and flexed and balled it into a fist. "I know her very well indeed."

He barked orders over his communicator, "Intruder alert. She's after the bomb."

All he got was static. Gunfire sounded further along the corridor.

"Getting sloppy Shego," he chuckled. "Let's go."

...

The men of _World Empire_ had no fear of danger. They were conditioned for to know only obedience. Neither was their Iranian employer afraid to get his hands dirty.

When they entered the secure section that housed the completed warhead they found the lights had failed and the power was off. The imperials led the way with their inferred goggles, the Iranian and Gemini's dog followed. Along the corridors they found more guards and technicians lying where they were left. Not all of the injuries were from claws either. There were blasts from energy weapons on the walls and burn marks on some of the fallen.

Shego had help.

"Intercoms not working. Nothing's working! Where are our security systems; auto-cannons, trap doors, bulkhead doors, gas?!"

"They shut them off," Gemini stated the obvious.

"How could she do this? You told me the security was impregnable!"

Gemini thought for a moment.

"Drakken."

"Who is this Drakken and how much will his head cost me?"

"He's a former imperial scientist. He helped _build_ this place!"

The Iranian thought back. "That pale guy with the ponytail?"

Before Gemini could answer the lights reactivated and the radio sizzled.

"_Gemini, sir_._ She got…,_ (_cough, cough)_. _She got the bomb_!"

"Drakken knows about the escape portal. It must be their exit!"

Gemini led his men and the Iranian back through the twisting corridors toward the command section of the base. On the way they received an update from the command centre."

"Intruders aircraft spotted. They are escaping north in a low flying VTOL aircraft."

Gemini turned a corner into a dead end. Or it would be a dead end if the floor hadn't been ripped open to reveal tunnel fading deep into the black earth.

Gemini roared. "That's _my_ escape aircraft she's getting away in!"

The radio crackled again.

"_Incoming, in… ing! Global Just…. By Allah, there's hundreds of them_!"

"_No_! They wouldn't dare enter our country, we would retaliate!"

"Never underestimate what Betty Director will dare, even the displeasure of the UN if she has too."

The fingers on Gemini's metal hand formed into missiles. He turned to his men. "Put the word out. Drakken and Shego to me alive. Their men dead. Get me my bomb back."

The two imperial agents wordlessly nodded. One picked up Gemini's little dog then both jumped down the escape portal. Gemini halted the Iranian before he could follow.

"It is a shame I cannot allow Betty any means to connect me to the production of nuclear weapons. Witnesses included. I will miss you my friend."


	4. Ch 3: Kim & Ron Night

Author's Note: Big thank you shout out to Absentialuci and Thomas Linquist for fashion tips

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Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible™ or any character, location or event from that said show. Or the video game of the same name.

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Ch 3: Kim & Ron Night

Ron stretched out on the Possible family couch, taking his shoes off, putting his feet up and finding his personal groove in the cushion.

"Ah, Friday evening. My most favourite-ist time of the week."

Kim smiled sweetly at her best friend, joining him on the couch in her pyjamas. She had Pandaroo and a bowl of popcorn with her.

"That's not a word. And I love Kim & Ron night too."

"Oh I love Kim & Ron night," Ron confirmed, leaning over to grab a handful of popcorn, "but what I actually meant was that this is the furthest point of the week before more school and Mr Barkin."

Kim pulled the popcorn back with mock hurt. "Nice to know I count for _something_!"

"Come on KP, the guy is like a dog with a bone. He won't let go. Just today while I waited outside the gym for you he walked past and yelled, '_Stoppable, why aren't you in detention_?' And I said, '_Sir_, _you did not give me any today_.' So he's like, '_Oh. In that case I have some extra homework for you. Wait right here_."

Kim had to giggle at Ron's impression of Mr Barkin. He made it sound like the immortal confrontation between innocent Oliver Twist and the greedy work master. '_Please sir, I want some more_.' He sat up straight and bellowed when performing Barkin, placing one hand on his him and waving the index finger on the other. Conversely when performing himself he was sheepish and polite.

"_Did_ you get the extra homework?"

"Are you kidding? I was out of there the moment you left the gym."

"He'll give you a detention on Monday for leaving," Kim pointed out.

Despite this fact Ron was still pleased with himself. "Better a detention than extra homework for the weekend Kim."

"What movie did you get?"

Ron pulled a DVD case out of his backpack.

"Prepare yourself for…," he quickly held it up for Kim, "_It Came from the Toxic Lake 2_!_ Revenge of Gill_!"

Kim's face fell. "_Ron_! I told you to get something nice. I want to _celebrate_ tonight."

"This is… celebrate-ty. No, it's the, _ah_…, triumph of modern science. Like your Dad!"

"Ron, you're just going to end up hiding behind the couch like the last Gill movie."

"Give me some credit KP, I'm three years older now. I can redeem myself."

"Pass."

"Alright. I also have a back up. How's about _Bring It On 5_?"

...

As with _Bring it On_ 2 through to 4, _Bring it On_ 5 was _terrible_. Absolute teen trash, it was nothing but cliché teen angst and cheese. Nevertheless it was perfect for two best friends who just wanted to lie out on the couch and chill.

"Teenagers aren't like this… are they?"

"Kim, I spend way too much time watching movies and playing _Dead Rising_ to figure out what teenagers do or _why_ they do it."

Kim blinked at her teenage friend. "Ron, I think you just solved the teenage condition."

"I got the what now with the what, what?"

"Nevermind."

"Hey KP, check this out."

With no more explanation Ron stuck two straws up his nose, tucked in his arms and waved his hands like flippers.

"_Arp, arp, arp arp_!"

Kim struggled valiantly not to laugh, and when that failed she was reduced to throwing popcorn. Crying, "Hey, no fair!" Ron threw some back. The two of them sat on the Possible's couch screaming and laughing as they threw fried corn at each other until….

Kim felt something moving in the popcorn bowl. Something wrinkly and alive.

"Ahh!" she gave a quick scream and threw the whole bowl at Ron. It landed squarely on his head. Rufus landed in his lap along with a large amount of popcorn.

"Ron was that thing in the popcorn the _whole_ time!" Kim demanded furiously.

The mole rat ignored the arguing humans, rolling its head back and forth. Her tiny eyes were bloodshot. ("_This is some kind of weird diet man. _'burp")

"Not the whole time! Just… he hasn't had anything to eat since lunch. Poor little guy looks all pale and starved."

("_No. No more mystery meat. No more_.")

"I don't care! You don't put a rodent in the popcorn bowl that I'm _eating_ out of! Get it _out _of my house."

"_Oh_, _com'on_ Kim…."

"_Now_!"

Ron sighed and relented. "Alright. Time to go Rufus buddy."

He gently placed Rufus in his cargo pants pocket, said goodnight and left.

Still angry and grumbling about how stupid Ron could be and how the night went down the drain so quickly, Kim began to pick up pieces of popcorn all over her living room.

...

**UN GJI Headquarters**

**Location Classified**

It was a running gag that since no natural light ever entered the top secret underground headquarters of Global Justice Inititive that the agents and technicians would have photos of the tropics, or maybe Africa or any other picture perfect holiday spot, instead of family. This also helped disguise each others identity and family life. They lived in a paranoid world after all.

As Agent Du hurried through the corridors to an important meeting with the director he passed not portraits of Presidents or UN General Secretaries but of sunny beaches and palm trees. Turn the corner and it was snowmen and children sledding. The seasonal photos brought life to the drab interior and, boy, they sure did help navigation underground. Only nearer the directors office where important international visitors would be expected to travel did Presidents and Secretaries start appearing.

Will Du approached the secretary sitting outside Dr Director's office.

"Agent Du 1756748 reporting to see the Director."

Behind the desk sat a massive mountain of a man who acted just as much as bodyguard and deterrent for trouble as he did a secretary. It wasn't known where Director found the man. The tattoos and scars covering his massive limbs and general grunting sound he used to reply to any statement or question, even from a superior, suggested it wasn't in government service.

The man eyed Agent Du up and down the way he eyed everyone than pressed a buzzer under the table. This did not open the doors. Instead it alerted the person inside to the presence of a visitor. Only the person inside could open the doors to allow visitors.

They slid open now.

"Come in Will."

The voice didn't fit what one imagined of probably the most powerful women on earth. It was far too motherly. Du stepped inside.

"Ma'am."

Director gave him a disarming smile. "You can call me Betty in here Will."

Despite the blue military style uniform and the eye patch over her right eye she really did give off the presence of a mother. Her body frame was far slimmer and more agile looking than her arch-nemesis, Gemini.

"Back from the Middle East already? I hope that's because you're extremely efficient Will and not because we have another global crisis on our hands."

Will passed her a report on the Iranian nuclear weapons facility. Betty seated herself on the edge of the desk, placed the report down and waited for Du to tell her his opinion.

"They were gearing up to make nuclear weapons alright, smaller than what the big boys stock but perhaps nastier. Radiation can be such a bitch."

He dared the language because it was well known Betty was an old soldier. She probably wouldn't mind bluntness.

He was half right. "Language Will," Betty smirked, "but I agree, radiation _is_ a bitch. Looks like your contact was worth the money."

"He was right, _this time_," Will added the cautionary, "We probably would have been better served to send in a recon mission rather than a strike team. How much heat are you taking by the way?"

"Enough that I've been thinking of taking a vacation to Venus."

"How many people are lining up to help you pack?"

That got a snort from Betty.

"You weren't wrong Will; procedure is to first recon and then present findings to the security council. However, I felt Gemini's hand in this and he is _too_ slippery wait for the politicians go ahead. Half of them probably work for Gemini anyway."

"The only connection we found to World Empire was an injured man in the weapons stock room. He isn't talking but he was wearing one of their uniforms. Nothing, of course, to suggest Gemini himself was present."

"And with so little evidence pointing at WE the President is going to be on my back to declare this an Iranian plot. The Iranians on the other hand will blame it all on rogue westerners trying to drag them into the _evils_ of nuclear weaponry, expecting me to back them up with the one single shred of proof it was an outside job. And my life just plain sucks."

"An aircraft did escape the facility fleeing north, we believe with the one completed bomb on board."

"_Oh_, so it _was_ that we have a new global emergency! That's just great that is, Gemini with a nuclear warhead."

"Looks like he was planning the double cross from the beginning too. There was a fire fight in the facility moments before we arrived."

Betty finally picked up the hastily compiled report and flicked to the section about the fire fight. "I need you to get on this right away Will," her tone become stern and serious. "Gemini and a nuclear weapon is a bad combination. And don't get so worked up about proper procedure like you usually do. I'll handle any heat that comes from bending a few laws; you just find me that nuke before its detonated."

Du stood up to leave. "Yes ma'am."

Before he walked out the door Betty called, "_Wait_."

"Yes Director?"

Betty pulled out a number of photos from the file. Specifically photos of odd claw marks in steal or weapons sliced into pieces.

"Gemini didn't do this. Did you find evidence of anyone else at the facility?"

Will shrugged. "Some of the Iranians claimed the WE troopers were wearing red instead of their usual purple. I suspect Gemini was trying to further cover his tracks."

"What about green? A woman dressed in a green and black jumpsuit?"

"I don't…. It never really came up."

"Find out," Betty demanded with steal in voice. The motherly tone was gone. "Interview everyone. I want to know how these claw marks were made."

Agent Du gave a sharp, "Yes ma'am," affirmative and left the room wondering how Berry Director knew the green and black clad lady.

He also wondered why when most other people had pictures of Hawaii sitting on their desk; Dr Director had an aged, tattered photo of Yellowstone National Park. One with a younger, though still obviously, Gemini waving and resting on a large rock.

Maybe if she couldn't have a photo of her family she figured she should have a photo of her enemy to concentrate on instead?

...

It was customary for Kim to come down for breakfast later on a Saturday morning. When she did trudge down the stairs rubbing her eyes the rest of her family had already been up for some time. Her mother was already at work while the twins tested radio control rockets out the back window. Her father sat at the breakfast table reading the morning newspaper as per usual.

"Morning Kimmie cub. Good night last night?"

"Yeah. It was ok."

She sounded slightly depressed while saying it.

"I thought I heard quite a bit of screaming. I hope you two didn't get into any mischief."

James eyed his daughter with suspicion.

"No. I cleaned up afterward. But we did have a fight."

"Again? What over this time?"

"Same thing as usual. Him not thinking and being immature."

"Kimmie, you just described all men across the face of the Earth."

"Well…. He let his naked mole rat eat out of the popcorn bowl."

"He…? He did _WHAT_?!"

Kim jumped at the alarm in her father's voice.

"Oh, _no, no, no_! He has a new _pet_; it's like a hairless rat. He takes it with him everywhere."

"A…? A naked…?"

"A Naked Mole Rat, yes."

"He took a rat into our home and fed it popcorn?"

"Out the bowl we we're eating out of, yes."

"You win. I can't top that. Ron is most immature being on the planet."

"What?" Kim now had a chance to needle her father. "Of all your fun adventures of _little Jimmie_ and_ Drewby_ you don't have _anything_ that could top a _naked_ mole rat?"

Kim voice was filled with mock disappointment while her triumphantly smug grin told a different story.

"Nothing I would tell _you_ anyway. That goes double for the boys."

The phone rang and Kim got up to answer it. She was surprised to hear the voice of Monique.

"Swipe your daddy's credit card and get your _fabulous_ self outside girl. We're taking you out."

...

_We _turned out to be the entire Middleton High cheer squad. The senior girls with vehicles picked up the younger members.

Each and every one of them was dressed in something _gorgeous_. Jessica showed off her long legs with simple white striped guys shirt and low cut tan shorts. Others like Marcella dressed more modesty but were in no way less stunning. A lovely white blouse with 3/4 sleeves over a cream coloured camisole, charcoal grey skirt that comes down to just above her knees.

The captain, Amelia, went for black longs and a short green cardigan. Together with her heels they showed off her long legs while keeping her looking conservative. Monique played off her darker skin and hair with a long, dark seductive red dress, black belt and plenty of gold accessories. Damn all practicality.

Bonnie was teal. A teal top that matched her eyes and showed off her tanned arms, belly and back. She finished her outfit with a pari of white coulettes (clam digger pants) and heels.

Each of the girls had thrown together a unique ensemble that reflected their own tastes and personality. It was a high heel jungle. Kim felt underdressed in a pink heart t-shirt, green three quarter pants and sneakers. She almost ran back inside to change but Monique and Bonnie already had her by the arms.

"Don't worry about your wardrobe girl. By today's end it'll be trash and you'll have some new duds."

"What is this?"

"Cheerleader tradition," Bonnie answered. "Every time a new member is added to the squad we take her out for a day to remember. Think of it as an organised assault on the mall. Oh, and you _have_ to buy something gorgeous. No whining about pocket money."

"I was kind of saving…."

Bonnie interrupted her sternly. "I do not want to here that blasphemy from your lips for the rest of the day, do you understand me?"

"Don't worry Kim. The other girls know to pitch in if…."

"No, no, I have money. I meant I _wanted_ a new dress. For the next school dance. I.... I was kind of hoping…."

Kim's blush told the story.

"_Nya-uh_ girl! Have to tell us now," Monique insisted.

"Well I don't _have_ anyone in mind. I just… wanted…."

"To be ready when Romeo comes in and sweeps you off your feet," Amelia finished, leaning against the car Monique and Bonnie were steering Kim towards. "We _all_ want that Kim, no need to blush."

"Oh, I know. I just never told anyone anything like that before. Except maybe my diary."

"Not even blonde freckles you're always hanging with?" Bonnie quipped.

"_Especially_ not him."

The girls placed Kim middle of the back seat with Monique and Bonnie on either side. Amelia started the car with blonde beauty in a blue dress, Tara, rode shotgun.

Monique patted Kim's knee. "Well now you have _us_ to spill to and freckles is no where in sight, so T.U.A girl. Tell us _all_."

...

Nothing could stand against the invasion. All resistance was swept aside. The mall was conquered in the name of the double X chromosome.

First priority was to find Kim some stylish new clothes. The plan of attack was to knock over Club Banana first with a lightning raid. She walked in wearing a pink love heart t-shirt and shabby green three quarter pants. She walked out a wearing a in a casual black long sleeved top, maroon skirt with crimson belt. A gold charm on a chain around her neck and some red bangles were added for cosmetic effect.

Perfume stores used up bottles of product doing samples for the girls. Kim got herself a sexy shade of dark red lipstick.

The hair saloon formed her red hair into ringlets that cascaded down either side of her head and over her shoulders. Monique found the most wonderful plastic silver tiara at a nearby stall to complete the stunning effect of her hair.

The girls found an evening wear store and just _had_ to try on the gowns. They were to die for though preferably fight to the death and come out on top for. Unsure at first, Kim gravitated toward typical red until the older girls shooed her away from it. Bonnie pointed at her teal eyes as a clue, then at Kims deep green eyes.

The cheerleaders waited impatiently outside a pair of dressing rooms. Some of them borrowed whatever seats they could find in the dining area, others stood behind.

"Reveal," Amelia commanded.

The pair of dressing room doors swung open and out stepped two _ravishing_ creatures in heels. Bonnie's gown was teal and cut diagonally across her shins. Kim with a darker shade of green. It was open on one side up to her lower thigh.

The cheer squad cheers _screamed_ approval, jumping up and clapping and running in the crowd the pair of models.

There day out ended at the movie theatre. To be a little cheeky they decided on the flic based on which lead actor had the most delicious chest.

They were all still debating it long after the movie was over and they walked out of the theatre. Right into Ron who was strolling out of the Arcade next door, slurping on a thick shake.

"How the _hell_… did you beat my record top score at Zombiepalooza?"

In his hand Rufus just laid back.

("_You'll never know sucker_.")

Sighing, Ron put Rufus back into his pocket home and looked up… to a sight of beauty he never would have imagined. Never even would have thought of imagining.

"_Hwoa_!"

Kim heard sharp, familiar jumble of letters usually reserved for an incredible sight beyond belief. She looked up and spotted her best friend strolling out of the Arcade. His jaw was hanging open with the straw from his thick shake sitting against his bottom lip.

It was just him staring. It felt like every eye in the crowded mall.

"Kim?"

"Hi Ron," she managed to say in a weak voice.

"_Ah_…, I, _ah_, came round to your place this morning to apologise…. Is that lipstick?"

Feeling self-conscious Kim answered, "Yes."

"And you're wearing perfume?"

Trying to block out some giggles from the girls behind her Kim responded more forcefully. "Yes!"

She crossed her arms defensively and tried to stare Ron down.

"You don't wear lipstick and perfume."

"_Yes_ I do."

"Well I've never seen you wear lipstick."

"You're not with me every second of every day."

But the boy's short attention span had already drifted. He raised himself on his toes to stare down on her head. "What did you do to your _hair_?" he whispered.

"I got it, _um_...."

"_Ringlets_." Monique called.

"Ringlets, yes. They're called ringlets Ron."

Eyes darting between Kim and the other girls Ron asked, "Did you get knocked over the head with your pom-pons?"

Any giggling stopped. The cheerleaders' ire was up and an incensed murmur passed between them.

The comment also made Kim angry.

"There's nothing _wrong_ with my hair Ron! I'm allowed to get dressed up once in a while for no reason. I'm entitled."

To underline her point Kim snatched the thick shake away from him and dumped it over his blonde head. A yell of triumph erupted from the cheerleaders at her back.

Ron was too stunned to protest as Kim and the cheerleaders strolled away.

Rufus, however, wasn't too stunned to climb up his hockey jersey and lick off some of the strawberry thick shake.

("_You know, for a guy who spends most of his time hanging with a girl, you have the sensitivity of an _amoeba! _If she hadn't have done it, I would have_.")

* * *

Before anyone asks: Yes there's more going on than just Ron getting a mole rat!


	5. Ch 4: Therapeutic Techniques

Thank you for Youtube and martial arts accidents.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible™ or any character, location or event from that said show. Or the video game of the same name.

Song lyrics belong to _Kung Fu Fighting_ by Carl Douglas.

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Ch 4: Therapeutic Techniques

The following evening Kim walked into the local dojo hall with her karate Gi, ready to work out her frustration with her favourite therapist, Mr Punching Bag. The only one inside was her informal martial arts mentor and family friend, Joe. Joe also wore a Gi…, along with a work belt stuffed with cleaning product. At the moment he occupied himself buffering the wooden floor under the padded mats.

He shut down the buffer when he noticed he had company.

"Good evening Kim Possible. It's been a while since graced this place with your presence. I was beginning to think you had permanently traded in your Gi for pom-pons"

The man's voice sounded deep and slippery, just like his personality. It wasn't like so much hearing a voice as his words being etched into your brain. Despite _claiming_ to hail from Canada Joe did not have a Canadian accent. He didn't have any discernable accent, though Kim knew for a fact he could imitate any you could name.

Her father knew a little more about the man's secrets. Joe had been a family friend since he saved her James Possible's life during an accident at the Middleton Space Centre. She was four at the time. At that age his deep voice frightened her. Even now it kept her on edge.

The wily and mysterious man was her mentor. She trusted him. She just knew better than to let her guard down around him.

"Master Joe," Kim bowed respectfully. He had never revealed his last name. "I just wanted to learn a few new distraction techniques. Psyche out the competition at the next national."

"_Ah_. That must be it."

He didn't buy it.

"I'm sure that cute little trick, back flipping off the springboard and landing on the horse one handed, why it will intimidate the competition so badly they won't want to enter the ring."

"I already have you to intimidate the competition. Didn't realise you'd seen my routine." It was true Kim hadn't seen him there but she knew better to assume that meant he wasn't.

"_Oh_, I wouldn't have missed it. It was even worth the ear filling the captain gave me about leaving gymnasium equipment out when she had auditions to run."

Joe unplugged the power cord for the buffer and they replaced the mats. Joe was a towering and toned man but, unlike his dojo, unkempt and scruffy. His greasy black hair was always a mess and he usually sported an unshaven chin.

"Heard you had a fight with the clown," Joe stated while they worked.

Kim didn't rise to his bait. "Hear about that did you? How?"

"It's part of my job to keep my ears open."

"And what job would that be Joe?"

The verbal probing of each other continued.

"I'm a janitor Kim. You know that."

"Didn't think a janitor would need to keep his ears open, just know how to keep his nose out of it."

"Well then how would we know there's a mess to clean up?"

"Maybe you should take a vacation Joe. It would be a shame if all that cleaning product you use to clean up _messes_ gave you a tumour."

"You know, the clown said that to me the other day at school. Except he used the term '_hope_' instead of shame."

Joe paused. "You know he's walking around with some kind of rodent in his pocket now?"

...

After Joe left Kim showed the punching bag no mercy. She punched it again and again, than jumped up and hit it with a devastating spinning roundhouse kick. She wasn't going for skill or control, just unleashing the raw power of her legs. The force of the blow seemed to travel up the chain and make the beam shake.

The local dojo hall was empty aside from her. Or at least she thought it was.

"Is that meant to be me?"

The shock of hearing another voice in the supposedly empty dojo startled Kim, specifically _his_ voice. She almost let the bag slam into her when it swung around. She twisted around it, so close the folds of Gi brushed against the swinging bulk, and back flipped out of its reach.

From the bench Ron winced. "Sorry."

Breathing heavily, Kim voiced a cautious, "_Maybe_," to his original question. "How long have you been there?"

"Bout ten minutes."

Kim took a water bottle out of her bag. "How did you find me?"

Ron threw her a nearby towel. "You forget how well I know you. Where else would you go?"

Kim gave him a doubtful look. "So you just sat watching the dojo all day, waiting until I turned up and Joe left."

"No. I sat and watched Joe go through his meticulous Sunday _cleaning_ routine, gagging on fumes and trading insults with the stoner all day… until you turned up." Ron pulled a Gameboy out of his pocket. "Ran out of batteries an hour ago so I went and got some Bueno Nacho."

Ron and Joe spending time alone in the same building must have been the mother of all grudge matches. When she couldn't suppress a thankful smile for his iron dedication to their friendship Kim looked the other way and pretended to be pulling out the scrunchie tying her hair back.

"Muk Yan Jong when you're thinking. Punching bag when you're angry."

Kim was blinking back near terminal shock. "You pay attention?"

"No. Just something I heard Joe say. I don't know what a Muk Yan Jong is."

"It's the wooden thing on the wall. Sits on a spring and has the wooden limbs extending from it. You actually listened to something Joe said?"

Ron ignored her question. "_Oh_, the stick thing you beat up. I guess Joe was right, huh?"

Now it was Kim's turn to ignore his statement. She picked up her backpack and headed for the changing rooms.

Before she walked through she called back.

"I don't_ always_ come here you know."

"I know. First you talk to you're dad. He's currently overreacting about a Naked Mole Rat in a popcorn bowl. I was saved by a phone call; apparently they're moving his research project to the Ukraine for testing."

"Ukraine?"

"Yeah, in Africa."

...

Unbeknownst to either teen Joe had not left. He was on the roof. Cleaning the guttering until it glowed in the sunset.

Next to him the skylight just happened to be open. Acoustics just happened to travel well in the empty dojo.

"_Yeah, in Africa_."

Joe had to chuckle at Ron's geography skills.

After the teens had gone he stopped polishing long enough to sit back and consider the implications.

"The Ukraine?"

"That's quite a mess you've set your sights on James. That reactor is not to be trifled with. You could use the expertise of an experienced janitor."

...

"You know I'm sorry. About being an insensitive jerk."

Kim bit her lip, thinking about what she should say to the boy who had suffered Joe all day just to say sorry. Who was walking her home in the cool sunset. Who did these things because he was her best friend.

"No Ron, I over reacted big time. I'm sorry. I've been way too hard on you lately."

"I _have_ noticed an upsurge in the 'saying sorry' trend the last few months."

Ron's face brightened and he formed the goofy smile that always made her feel better.

"And you do partially deserve it, but…. When I was beating up on the punching bag I was thinking about how silly it looked with ringlets through its red hair."

"Tell the punching bag it looked incredible with ringlets through its hair."

Both of them pulled away a fraction to disguise reddened cheeks.

"Actually, that strawberry thick shake sparked something in my brain."

"Mr Barkin will be glad to hear it."

"I'm only good for one epipthcopy at a time KP."

"Epiphany."

"I was thinking…. For the last month you've thrown everything into becoming a cheerleader. Practicing constantly, spending less time in the dojo. You were even nervous before the tryout. _You_! Kim Possible, the girl who can do anything!"

"It's just a catchphrase for my website Ron. You make me sound like Supergirl."

"You _are_ Supergirl and that's what stopped me figuring out was going on. You want to be just _girl_."

There was break in the conversation as Ron smugly savoured his own genius. Kim felt exposed. It took her a few seconds to challenge his statement. "I'm not following your logic here Ron."

"You always throw yourself at a challenge so that wasn't unusual. Even so, cheerleading doesn't confirm with your usual MO, neither charity nor competitive; or at least there isn't a gold medal at the end of it. Seeing you in the mall the last pieces fell into place. You went after cheerleading because it was _normal _and because all you're other adventures have prevented you from making friends other than me."

Sprung. It sounded like Ron understood her own confused thoughts and feelings better than she did. It sounded like it made reasonable _sense_ coming from him.

Feeling sheepish and guilty for ever feeling like she more needed more than just Ron, Kim retreated back into her mind. She stayed silent for the rest of the walk home, hanging her head and leaning against Ron's shoulder.

When they made it the front yard outside her home Kim finally hugged Ron and looked him in the eye.

"In your own unique way Ron Stoppable you have an incredible intellect."

Ron tapped his forehead. "I'll conqueror the world one day, you'll see."

...

**Next Friday Afternoon: Kim & Ron night. **

"If your going to spend all your time here you should ask me for a job," Felix called from behind the counter of the Arcade.

Ron didn't even look up from the console screen. "I don't spend _all_ my time here."

"I'm sure you would if I installed bunk beds. Are you still fighting with Kim? I heard about last Saturday."

"Non-issue Felix my man because I am a _smooth_ criminal when it comes to the ladies. Me and KP formed an understanding last weekend and things have never been sweeter."

"Than why are you here instead of hanging out with Kim? I _know_ you don't prefer my company."

"You sell yourself short. You see, for the past week Kim has been enjoying some quality, normal girl time with her cheerleading peeps. Practices, movies, makeovers, sleepovers; I don't know nor do I care. The important thing is that _tonight_ is Kim & Ron night and after a week of recharging the old friendship batteries by doing her own thing _Kim_ will be that much more eager for some Ronshine."

Ron was supremely confident in his pronouncement that his relationship with Kim was fine. He had no reason to believe anything else.

It did not, however, sound like roses to Felix. "You and Kim are on a break? And all you can think of doing is playing Zombiepalooza? Don't you have a life?"

Ron smirked with evil satisfaction. "I have eight left actually Felix. Rufus you are going down."

"Rufus? You mean that guy who beat your top score? _Oh_ that was _wizard_; I didn't even think it was possible."

"Neither did I," Ron admitted, "however, after a week of warm up attempts, I, Ron Stoppable will now reclaim my zombie killing crown. I haven't missed anything! Today I will post a score even that cocky little rat could never touch. _Bwahahaha_!"

Felix unlocked the brakes on his wheelchair and rolled over to the machine marked _Zombiepalooza_! This was a feat not to be missed.

One more Zombie strain collected and….

NEW HIGH SCORE!

"_Boo-yah_!" The call rang out throughout the arcade and attracted the attention of people in the mall. Ron made a leap of joy, punching and kicking air. Felix rolled his chair back for fear of getting hit.

"You see Felix. That was a once in a _lifetime_ run. No one will ever, or could ever, top this high score."

Ron's eyes went out of focus as he looked ahead to his future. "Even I will spend the rest of my years trying to replicate this awesome feat and falling short. And I shall not be the lesser man for it."

"What about Rufus?"

"Rufus will never set foot in here again. I can guarantee it. Today is the Ron man's day and to celebrate I'm taking Kim ice skating tonight."

"I thought you hated ice skating."

"I _do_ but Kim _loves_ it. She can do all those twirly moves and the jumps. And _I _love it when KP is happy."

Ron leaned against the Zombiepalooza machine. He had a content smile like nothing could touch him and all was right with the universe.

"Nope, doesn't matter how many times I fall or what I run into or how numb I am by the end of it, or if I'm accidentally drafted into an Ice Hockey tryout because of my jersey; nothing is going to ruin this day for me."

"I would leave the hockey jersey at home this time. They were savages last time that happened."

"Good for me Kim was worse."

It was just a flicker. Then, without the artificial light of the game machines, the arcade was plunged into darkness.

The next second all power was back on again and the artificial world was restored unchanged.

"That was weird."

"_Ah_…. Ron man."

SAVED DATA LOST

"_NOOOOOOOOOOOO_…!"

...

Despite the loss of his high score record Ron would not let the day bring him down. He dug his ice skates out of the closet and prepared warm clothing, preferably padded warm clothing. Since the weather was still warm he threw these in a backpack instead of immediately putting them on. That could wait until they arrived at the rink.

Knowing how Kim felt about Rufus he left the little guy at home with a comfy bed, plenty of water and some lettuce for a snack. He also made sure to sing the mole rat a lullaby and say goodnight.

Right on schedule for Kim & Ron night he knocked on the Possible's front door.

"Hola Possible family," he greeted merrily when Kim's Mom opened the door. "You're looking fabulous today Mrs Dr P. Is Kim around?"

"I'm sorry Ronald, she's not."

Ron was unconcerned. "She's out getting a movie?"

Mrs Possible looked unsure what to say. "No. I'm afraid the girls turned up about half an hour ago. They said they were throwing a sleepover. I'm sorry if Kimmie hasn't had a chance to call you yet."

Ron's merry attitude finally dropped. He realised he had been ditched.

"Oh Ronald, if you want to come in anyway…."

"I don't know…."

"Come on. I'll make you a hot chocolate."

A cheeky thought crossed her mind. "Maybe afterward you should talk with the tweeb, _ah,_ twins. I'm sure they could help you with Kimmie."

...

Kim tried repeatedly to call the Stoppable household and explain the sitch Ron. She hadn't meant to bail on Kim & Ron Night, hadn't planned on it. She had been ambushed by Tara and Bonnie just as much as Ron had.

"I hope he didn't turn up at my place and think I meant to ditch him."

"I'm sure he won't," Tara consoled. "You two are so tight. I'm sorry, if we had known you and he had plans…."

"_Naw_. Just a movie. Probably _It Came from the Toxic Lake II_. I'll have to make it up to him tomorrow."

The two girls went back up stairs to Tara's room. Waiting for them were most of the younger cheerleaders Kim's age. Monique and Amelia both had after school jobs on Friday.

"Get through?" one asked.

"No."

"Don't worry about it," Bonnie advised. "You're not on a leash. If he can't let you have one Friday to kick back and enjoy yourself than that's his problem."

Kim felt exasperated. "Well it's not like _that_!"

Tara interjected. "He's a big boy. He'll be fine."

"And now he and his mole rat can have the _whole_ bowl of popcorn," another girl suggested. The room erupted in laughter.

"Yeah, I guess," Kim admitted, suppressing a giggle.

"So how did he get kicked out of karate class again?" Bonnie asked sweetly.

"Oh. Well it wasn't just the one thing…."

**

* * *

**

Everybody was kung-fu fighting (

_**Huh**_**!)  
**

_The class is performing manoeuvres on stage. Ron steps too far and falls off._

**Those cats were fast as lightning (**_**Haa**_**!)  
**

_Ron is meant to punch a wooden board Joe is holding. His pants fall down, causing him to trip. He tackles Joe instead._

_Ron kicks the punching bag and falls over. When he sits up the bag swings back and hits him again. _

**In fact it was a little bit frightening (**_**Huh**_**!)**

_Karate class lines up at attention. Ron runs in late and hits the first guy in the row. The rest fall like skittles._

_Ron picks up a set of nunchucks behind Joes back. He does surprisingly well; however, they slip out of his reach and put a hole in the wall._

**Make sure you have expert timing (**_**Haa**_**!)  
**

_Ron attempts to kick Joe's padded gloves and duck when Joe swings. The routine works! Joe holds up his arm for a high five. Ron has to jump and in doing so knees Joe in the crotch. _…

* * *

In Tara's room all of the girls can barely breathe they're laughing so hard.

"_Stop. Stop. You're killing me here_," Bonnie begged.

...

**Monday morning**

**Middleton High School**

Kim finally caught up with Ron Monday morning at school; or, he caught up with her. He saddled up next to her locker while she exchanged books for morning class.

"Good _morning_ KP. I trust the sweetest cheerleader in school had a good weekend?"

Kim was jolted by his ability to sneak up on her, and how perky for a school day.

"Not really. I've been _trying_ to call you all weekend. Apologise about Kim & Ron night."

"Kim & Ron night, _pift_, no big deal. I just took the tweebs ice skating instead."

"_You_ went Ice Skating? With the tweebs?"

"Yeah, they're getting pretty good. They _also_ helped me with a secret project over the weekend."

Kim was incredibly alarmed now. "What project?!"

"_Ah, ah, ahh_. You'll see when everyone else does. You still have cheer practice after school?"

"_Yes,"_ she confirmed suspiciously.

"Then I'll see you around after I talk with Mr Barkin."

Ron walked off, giving his friend a half salute wave of the hand from down the hall. Kim was gob-smacked and growing more alarmed by the second.

...

First thing during practice Amelia addressed the squad. "Look sharp girls. Mr Barkin said he wanted to address the squad during practice and I _don't _want the pyramid to collapse during his inspection."

Tara raised a hand. "Why would Mr Barkin want to talk to us?"

"We might have an answer to that."

The squad turned their attention to Monique who was standing protectively over a timid Kim.

"This morning Ron told me he had a surprise he wanted to talk to Mr Barkin about."

"What surprise?" Bonnie demanded.

Monique stepped in for Kim. "No idea. Both of us have been needling him all day. Boy won't spill. Oh, and if he asks _you_ if you would like to meet _Rufus… _say _NO_! Don't be afraid to be forceful."

Punctual to a fault, Mr Barkin chose that moment to throw open the gym doors and speak with the girls.

"Alright listen up ladies; you have a new addition to the squad. I would like you to meet the Middleton Mad Dogs new mascot… Ronald Stoppable."

A new figure entered the gym behind Mr Barkin. Blonde with freckles and wearing bright yellow pants and a purple Middleton High jersey. He also had dog paw gloves and boots while an overly large Bulldog mask was tucked under his arm.

"_Hello_ ladies. Mad Dog came to play, _Arh, arh, arrrrrrh_! Hey Kim."

* * *

Author's Note: Personally I think it's been far too long since something went _boom_! I'll see about fixing that in the next chapter.


	6. Ch 5: Drew

_Author's Note_: In the paragraph where I say Ron was _walking on ice _I am trying to describe the illusionary effect of the Melbourne Shuffle, though it is very hard to meaningfully describe. I'm told in Australia you can't dance unless you can shuffle. Check it out on Youtube.

I always felt Drew was hard done by in the cartoon. He was the one character I wanted to learn more about. What was his childhood like? How close were he and James? Where did he go after he left college? Why is he blueberry coloured?

The most interesting hints the show ever produced were…

A) He knew Nana Possible's history. In fact he had it completely documented and on file. The guy who couldn't figure out James Possible & Kim Possible were related!

B) He ruled at Dodgeball as a child.

C) It was a Tuesday….

Ladies and Gentleman, today the character of Drew is done justice!

**

* * *

**

Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible™ or any character, location or event from that said show. Or the video game of the same name.

**Songs represented are **_**White Wedding**_** by Billy Idol and**

_**Hit Me With Your Best Shot**_** by Pat Benatar**

* * *

Ch 5: Drew

"Hold on Mr Barkin," Amelia argued, "_I_ appoint squad members."

"Yeah, well he's more like squad support so I appoint him. Besides, he went to the trouble of making the costume."

Barkin addressed his new _Mad Dog_. "Good to see you're finally got yourself some school spirit Stoppable."

"Oh, I do Mr B! I _really_ do."

"Barkin! And good lad. I'm _proud_ of you Ronald."

"Thanks Mr B… arkin!"

"Yeah. Close enough."

Barkin turned his attention horrified cheerleaders. "Ronald will join your practices from now on. I _expect_ you to support him and treat him like a member of the squad. I'll leave you to your drills."

Almost before the door swung shut behind him the cheerleaders were preparing to put down a certain Mad Dog. It was fortunate Kim got to him first… so that she could have first blood.

"_Come with me_!"

She gripped the offending purple jersey and tugged him roughly toward the corridor. Ron almost dropped his bulldog head from the force of her tug so he set it down by the door.

"_What do you think your doing_?" Kim demanded.

"Amp down KP, they'll think we're fighting."

"_We are fighting_!"

"_Alright, alright_! I figured this surprise could be taken the wrong way but this could work. You and me, we have each others back."

"I don't _need_ you to watch my back this time and I'm not sure if I can watch _yours_. Do you know how upset they are in there? They're going to blame _me_ for this!"

Ron opened his mouth state something… then paused. "I never thought of it like that…," Ron admitted. He didn't want to get Kim in trouble. "But I'll _grow_ on them once they see my Mad Dog routine."

"No they won't. All they'll see is you clowning around again and dragging _us_ down with you."

The word 'clown' coming from Kim was like a physical blow. Ron looked incredibly disappointed yet still he tired to convince Kim one last time.

"Kim, I put a _lot_ of work into this." He held up the paw gloves to prove his point. "I'm not just clowning around like I did with karate. I'm going to be the best mascot in the whole Tri-City area!"

Kim was surprised at Ron's level of craft skills. She eyed the gloves, studying their craftsmanship.

"You did this?"

Ron brightened a little. "Yep. Your brothers got me the materials but they're one hundred percent Mad Dog made."

"Whose idea was this?"

"Jim. No Tim. No wait…?"

Monique saved Ron the impossible task of figuring out which Possible twin came up with the idea. She joined the pair in the corridor. "Alright. Amelia wants a squad meeting, side show included. You got five more minutes."

"Oh, I don't think I have anything more to say to him. He's Amelia's problem now."

"_Ha_! Nice try. You're watching him like a hawk."

Monique eyed the gloves the way Kim did. "So you made these yourself?"

"Yeah. Took me all weekend and I broke Mom's sowing machine doing it _but_… _voila_!"

"That's pretty impressive," Monique admitted, thinking. "Think you can do a skirt or maybe even a evening gown?"

"I dunno. Probably. You want to see…."

"_NO_!"

Monique yelled so hard Ron felt the pressing need to hid behind Kim before he finished his sentence. "… my… Kim doll?"

"Oh."

"Kim doll?" Kim snapped, glaring over her shoulder.

"Yeah. We had some time and material left over so your brothers said I should make each of us a Kim doll, look."

Ron took the doll out of his pocket. It was a rag doll with a clay face and red string for hair. It was also dressed in a Leopard skin body suit.

"We only had Mad Dog paw material left so I dressed you like Sheela of the Leopard People. Check this out. _Kim_… _can you talk_?"

Using his finger Ron moved the mouth piece up and down. He said in a high voice, "_Of course I can. I can do anything_!"

Monique drew her head back, eyes wide. Kim raised an eyebrow.

"You are so weird."

...

"Alright Stoppable. Barkin appointed you. _I_ can't do anything about that but if you're in _my_ squad you have to work. Do what I say, when I say it. You can start by giving us your audition routine."

Ron greeted Amelia's challenge. "If you ain't impressed by time the Ron dog is done I'll burn the mask myself."

The music started and the Mad Dog was off the chain.

His routine started with dog like movement, jumping around on four homemade paws, scratching with his hind legs and howling wildly. Nothing a child couldn't have done.

Ron leapt up from his dog position. He lifted his legs high bouncing on the spot. Both his arms twisted in front of him like he was stirring a pot. Next he turned to the side, tucked his arms under his armpit and waved his arm like a chicken while moving his head back and forth.

Kim moaned and looked away. "Tell me he's not doing bon-diggity dance."

Monique shook her head.

"I don't know what he's doing, but it ain't natural."

The bon-diggity dance ended and his foot his movements changed entirely.

It was hard to describe what he was doing. His feet and body language said he was moving in one direction while in actual fact he was not moving, or moving in a completely different direction. With every rapid step his footwear slid across the floor but gained no traction. He was walking on ice. He slid to his destination like a slow moving hockey puck, slowly spinning as he moved. Then his direction would shift as if he bounced off an invisible boundary.

The cheerleaders started paying more attention, trying to work out what he was doing to create this illusionary effect. No one could follow his rapid footsteps. Ron danced right around Amelia like he ricocheted off four invisible corners around her.

Then he performed a jump kick.

Kim didn't expect Ron to add his meagre karate skills to the routine.

On the third jump kick he stumbled when landing and fell forward….

… Into a roll. From there he formed break dance ball, spinning on his back. Not easy when wearing a large dog mask.

When he was back up he back flipped away and started his comedy routine.

He would lean against an object only to slide off and fall, rolling to break that fall.

He picked up a pom-pon and started batting it about like it was a nunchuck. The thing slipped from his hand and landed on his top of his dog head.

Some of the girls forgot they were meant to be glaring and allowed a quick laugh.

By the end of the show Kim saw most of the girls were at least open to the idea of Ron joining the squad. Monique seemed very satisfied with the performance. Only Bonnie still eyed him with pure venom.

Amelia remained straight faced throughout the performance.

For his finale Ron got a running start and slid across the gym floor on his padded knees.

When he slid to a stop in front of the girls white foam pulsated from the teeth of his mask. He shook his head wildly, shaking the foam off like a wet dog will shake off water. The girls screamed and stepped back as it flew in every direction.

Standing in front Amelia was the worst hit.

Annoyed, Amelia declared, "Squad meeting."

"We're having a squad meeting," Marcella pointed out.

"Squad meeting _without_ squad support. Changing room. Now."

When most of the girls were out of sight Ron sat down on the floor, took his mask off and held his head.

"I don't feel so good man."

Rufus rolled out of his pocket, also lying out on the floor and shaking her little head.

("_What the _hell_ did I do to deserve that_? _I'm trying to sleep and all of a sudden this guy's rolling around like a maniac_?")

Kim walked over and squeezed Ron's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. It isn't this bad when I do it without the mask. I think I need to cut a few rolls out of the routine."

("_I'm going to puke. I'm serious man, I'm not playing wit' you. I'm going to puke _all_ over this floor_.)

"What was that with your feet?"

"The Melbourne Shuffle. Felix showed me. Instructional videos all over Youtube."

"Come on Kim!" Amelia called over.

Kim obeyed and followed Amelia into the changing room. Before catching up Bonnie walked up to Ron and dropped a cell phone in his lap.

Ron took the cell phone, confused. "What's this for?"

Bonnie held up another one. "So that you can listen of course."

...

When all of the squad had shuffled into the changing room Amelia asked Monique, "What do you think?"

"Boy's got some moves. Damned if I know what they are but he has some moves."

Others murmured in agreement.

"No way," Bonnie interjected. "Those weren't moves. He said himself he learned to do that off Youtube. The rest was just him falling over and acting like a rapid dog. He's a clown."

"Which is kinda the point," Monique reminded her. "_Mascot_!"

"Well then he's a _freak_!" Bonnie snapped sharply. "Can you imagine him being there _all_ the time; every practice, every game, every time we turn around? Walking around with _Rufus_ in his pocket all day! Tell him to go burn his mask."

During Bonnie's rant Kim quietly protested Ron wasn't a freak, however, most of the squad took her point.

"Well we _can_ tell him to leave the rodent at home." Amelia looked at Kim. "What do you think?"

"Me?"

"He's your friend. And make no mistake; it'll be _you_ keeping him out of trouble."

"So if he screws up it's all on _my_ head?!"

"If he screws up it's all on _his_ head," Amelia stressed her point to clarify. "_You_ will make sure he doesn't screw up. Look, I'm asking you because he's your _friend_. You know him best. You know if he can handle it."

Amelia's tone lightened. "I'm also asking you because _you'll_ be the one in an awkward position if he doesn't get along with the squad. If you don't think _you_ can handle it I can tell him to take a hike now and it's _all_ on me. He'll still be your best friend at the end of the day."

"So you want me to say whether or not I want you to dump my best friend?"

"You're opinion matters Kim," Monique confirmed.

"You can say anything in here Kim," Bonnie reminded her with apparent heartfelt sympathy. "It all stays in here, with us."

"I don't know. He did put a lot of work into the idea."

"But does he have a track record of staying focused? He followed you into martial arts and utterly failed. You said Ron _still _doesn't get along with the instructor."

"That's true."

"Let me make this easy for you. Be honest with _yourself_. Do you think Ron is immature?"

"Yes," Kim admitted.

"Do you want to be the one keeping an eye on him?"

"Not really."

"So do you want him on the squad?"

Monique broke into the interrogation. "That's not fair. We can't put this all on Kim."

Bonnie continued to press. "Remember at Tara's last Friday? You spent the whole night telling us how useless he is. That you joined the squad to get away from him."

"I didn't say _that _exactly. I said it was nice to… do my own thing…."

"How about the time he got a job as a paperboy? You said the first day a bottle of raspberry cola leaked in his backpack and he wouldn't go _near_ any property with a garden gnome."

"He doesn't like gnomes. You can't…!"

"What was that story you told…? The time Ron was at a video game convention in Go City. He was winning the Zombie bashing marathon when his pants fell down. Forced to choice between Zombies and his dignity he kept..."

"_Shut it_ down Bonnie." Monique demanded.

"…. he just kept on playing!"

Kim snapped. "_Alright_! He's a _screw_ up! He's an embarrassment! He'll probably let the squad down, is that what you wanted me to say?"

Bonnie was triumphant. "Yes Kim," she didn't let any of her truimph spread to her face. She remained posed with sympathy. "That's all I wanted you to say."

The room went quiet for half a minute while Bonnie and Kim stared each other down, one with fake sadness and the other with real anger. It occured to most of them an irriversable tear had just formed. Lines in the sand were being drawn, battlements set up and the squad forced to choose between friends. Stoppalbe may have already harmed squad unity for good.

It wasn't lost on seniors like Amelia and Monique.

"So that's it then," Amelia sighed. "I'll tell Stoppable the bad news."

...

When the girls exited the changing room Ron was already gone. All that left was a cell phone… sitting in mole rat puke.

"Next time use your own _damn_ phone Bee," Tara whispered angrily.

"I'll… just buy you a new one."

...

After Ron's mysterious disappearance Monique suggested he had probably gone to get something to eat. Kim acknowledged the boy did live according to his stomach. Amelia had the squad run through their routine twice before cutting practice short. In that time Kim managed to keep it together and perform every movement perfectly dispite the fact her heart wasn't in it.

She waited until all the other girls had left and then sat down in the corridor, leaning against the lockers outside the gym.

"The gym floor needs a mopping. A Naked Mole Rat threw up."

A locker down the corridor swung open and the school janitor, Joe, stepped out.

"I was going to buff the whole thing when I finished with these lockers anyway."

He continued to wipe down the lockers while he Kim talked.

"What happened Joe?"

"Rockwaller. Gave Ron a phone so he could listen to the whole ugly exchange."

"_Oh_ no."

"_Oh_ yes," Joe moved onto the next locker, spraying the outside and wiping it down. "And after I spent all yesterday choreographing his routine too."

"He went to _you_ for help? So he really was serious. Oh, what have I done?"

She banged her head against the lockers in frustration.

"I need your advice Joe."

"Sure. You need to get a stain out of your cheerleading uniform?"

"No I mean advice for the real world."

"I don't do real world advice. Now if you want to know how to remove red wine from…."

"I thought martial arts experts were meant to be able to impart wisdom?"

Joe shrugged as he worked. "I never got down with all that meditation and wisdom bag. I just watched too many Bruce Lee movies as a kid and wanted to kick some ass."

"But you do like to clean up messes," Kim reminded him. "I've made a big one."

Joe thought about this for a moment while he wiped down another locker, than stopped. "You know why I expelled Ron from the dojo class? I didn't really mind his accidents because he was always ready to try again. It was because he told me it didn't matter... because you would always have his back. And when I asked him who would watch _your_ back he said "_Duh_. Kim's so good she watches her own back." That's when he became the clown."

"So now that I've failed to watch his back…."

"You're both clowns! Congratulations, you can add children's birthday parties to your website."

"I can see why you don't give real world advice. That mole rat puke's still waiting by the way."

"You don't show me any respect when we're at school," Joe complained. "What happened to 'Master'?"

"If I call you master in front of my friends I'd be labelled apprentice janitor for the rest of my high school life."

"Anyone who calls you names is not your friend. Though I can see why you would want to avoid that."

"How's about you haven't beaten me in a sparring match since I was thirteen?" Kim smuggly replied.

"Doesn't count. I don't think I've been sober since you were nine."

To prove his point Joe sprayed a fine mist of cleaning product into the air and took it all in with a deep breathe. "_Ah_. Lemon fresh."

Kim sighed and shook her head. "Stoner."

...

Kim watched her father pack for his trip to the Ukraine from the doorway to his room. His plane would leave the next morning from the Tri-City airport. This would be the last time Kim could speak face to face with her father for a month or more.

"You're secret formula's finally ready, huh?"

"I certainly hope so, or I'm going to look _really_ stupid."

"I think I know the feeling."

"Oh? You didn't have _another_ fight with Ron?"

Kim's head drooped. "This time I really messed things up bad."

"You stepped on his pet rat?"

"Less worse. Depending on how you feel about the rat."

"You took the cheerleaders side in an argument?"

"Close. More Worse."

"Well you better tell me so that we can fix things before I leave."

Dr Possible stopped packing and sat on his bed. Kim sat down beside him, hugging her father.

"Ron joined the squad as a mascot today. Bonnie recorded me saying Ron shouldn't join."

"That doesn't sound…."

"I kinda called him a screw up and an embarrassment. Ron heard it all."

"_Ouch_! I mean… _ouch_!"

"I know."

"After you ditched him on Friday too," James added.

"I _know_. He was going to take me ice skating."

"He just wanted to spend time with you Kimmie Cub. He feels a little left out of the loop."

"I didn't mean for that to happen," Kim protested her innocence in that case. "I'm allowed to have more than one friend."

"I guess. But you're still going to have to earn forgiveness if you want to keep your best friend."

Kim let out a long breathe. "Did you and Drew ever have a fight?"

"Sure, plenty of them. Mostly trivial things like whether our inventions are going to work. The amount of times we called each other a crank or an eccentric. _Ha_! I told him this formula will never be perfected and his time would be better spent building himself a girlfriend."

"You mention him all the time. Inventions you built; the trouble you got into. What happened to him?"

It was James turn to take a deep breathe as he looked wistfully into the past. "He left when you were about four."

"Died?"

"No, no. I hope not anyway. He just… disappeared. No one ever heard from him again."

"That's sad."

James nodded agreement. It was sad. Sadder since it was the eve of Drew's greatest creation changing the world. A happier story was needed now, at this very moment.

"Did I ever tell you how we meet? It was in high school. I was just a little younger than you are now…."

_**

* * *

**_

Middleton High

_**30 Years Ago**_

_14 year old Drew Lipsky was pushed against the lockers by a group of older boys. He almost lost his oversized glasses from the force of the impact and had to push them back onto his nose before he they fell and broke. He looked defeated and frightened yet he didn't beg or whine. He knew it never did any good._

_If he just accepted then they would likely only rough him up a little. He would be getting off lightly that way._

"Think you're smart nerdlinger? That going to save you from my fist?"

_The boy drove his fist into Drew's gut. He keeled over in pain and refused to get up. The boys laughed and began to lose interest until…._

"Hey! What the hell do think you're doing_?"_

_The older boys were doubly surprised by the newcomer. First that he would yell at them, and second that he had the audacity to push his way past and help Drew up!_

"Is that how you think we act in a civilised society? That we beat up those who can't defend themselves!"

"Stop," _Drew winced painfully._

_James ignored his quiet protest._

"You lot are nothing but cowards. Now get out of here…."

_The bullies started to get angry. Really angry._

"…. before I report you all to the principal. I'll have you all expelled…."

_Drew insistently tugged on James shoulder, finally halting his rant and gaining his attention._

"Run!" _he insisted._

_The leader of the older boys swung at James. Both younger boys ducked past the older ones and dropped their things as they ran. The bullies gave chase._

_The Drew and James could never outrun their foes but good fortune was on there side. Another older boy, a mountain of a man and captain of the football team, Steve Barkin, intervened. When he spotted the commotion heading his way down the corridor he stepped forward and stopped them all._

"I think all us better have a chat with the principal, _hmm_?"

* * *

("Why, from that day on Drew and I were inseparable. We would endlessly discuss Captain Constellation and what it would be like to explore the stars even as we got older. It was actually Drew who introduced me to your mother when we were attending Middleton Institute of Science and Technology. You see, apart from having an incredible intellect, Drew also had a love of entertaining….")

* * *

_**Nightlife of Middleton**_

_**21 Years Ago**_

_James sat at the bar of a darkened club. He nursed a beer that was cold though was now slowly warming while watching the act on stage. Under the strobe lighting his friend Drew commanded the stage. Every time the light flicked on it reflected off his oversized glasses and glittery blue suit._

"_**And there's nothin' sure in this world"  
**_

_Drew spoke quietly into the mike._

"_**And there's nothin' pure in this world"  
**_

_His voice gaining strength for the finale_

"_**Look for something left in this wor-huh-ld"  
**_

"**Start agaaaaain!" **

_Now he screamed into the mike._

"**Come on, It's a nice day for a white wedding**"  
"_**Whoooooa**_!" _Drew performed a little mock jump kick on stage_

_**It's a nice day to start agaaaain!  
It's a nice day to start agaaaain!**_

_**It's a nice day to start agaaaain!"**_

_The music faded and both it and Drew were drowned out by the roaring of the crowd in the cramped club. Drew played a little for the crowds amusement, thrusting his hips before giving back the microphone and jumping back into the crowd._

_Fellow M.I.S.T students shouted approval, patting him on the back as he made his way to the bar. _

_James had to shout to be heard._ "You're quite the showman. Have you ever considered packing in the science and becoming a world famous rock star?!"

"Now James, it would be immoral to use my talents for wealth and power instead of helping advance the field of science. Besides, couldn't write a tune to save myself, just sing!"

"Well now that you've had your fun can we get out of here? There's only so much of this lighting I can take."

_Drew nodded agreement and led the way through the crowd to the door._

_Before they exited the club the music changed again. On a whim James twisted his head to see who was performing next_…

… _and was struck by the beauty who had just walked onstage_. _Black heeled boots, lycra miniskirt, cropped denim jacked and a perm through her wild red hair._

"_**Well you're the real tough cookie with the long history,  
Of breaking little hearts, like the one in me.  
That's o.k., let's see how you do it.  
Put up your dukes, let's get down to it!"  
**_

_All around the club the Upperton Medical College students went wild._

"_**Hit me with your best shot!  
Why don't you hit me with your best shot?!  
Hit me with your best shot!  
Fire away!"**_**  
**

"James! Yo, James!" _Drew tried to yell over the crowd_. "Are we going or what?"

_It didn't take Drew long to figure out what held James attention. The poor rocket scientist couldn't peel eyes from the stage. He didn't even seem to notice Drew yelling at him, granted Drew could barely hear himself yell. He had to physically shake James to end his transfixion. _

"Snap out of man! You won't stand a chance if you can't think on your feet."

_James shook himself out of his state_. "Stand a chance at what?"

_Drew didn't bother explaining_.

"Anne's quite the performer. She's from the Upperton College and _not_ to be taken lightly."

_After her performance was over Anne slid down from the stage and walked over to the bar. Men couldn't help but look twice as she wondered past. While she ordered, another student who appeared taken with the young women took up a seat next to her and tried to strike up a conversation. If anything the man looked to be just as big a nerd as James or Drew._

"Alright! Alright I think this is your shot! I run distraction, you talk to her."

"_Huh_?"

_Without another word Drew was dragging his love struck friend back across the club to the bar. They stopped behind Anne and the man talking to her._

"Dude, your car's being trashed!"

_The man looked confused._ "I got a lift."

"Oh…," Drew changed tactics. He began addressing Anne. "Another brilliant performance Anne."

_Anne smiled lopsidedly at the two newcomers_. "You did ok too."

"Maybe we could duo sometime?"

"You wish."

"_Ouch_. Say, I want you to meet my friend James."

_Drew pulled James forward. Anne looked him over though didn't seem overly impressed. _

_Drew turned his attention to the man sitting next to Anne, interposing himself between the two_. "Hey man, I didn't catch your name."

"Hi there," James stepped up to Anne. "Nice song."

"Just nice?"

"Better than listening to Drew. Better looking too, but don't tell him, he gets jealous."

_James gave a nervous chuckle. Anne's dismissive lopsided smile remained the same._

"I heard that!" _Drew shot over his shoulder. The man he was distracting kept trying to slip past and was getting frustrated_. "Hey man, this is uncool!"

"So you go to Upperton? You're going to be a doctor?

"Surgeon."

"Oh, I thought surgeons were doctors. I'm going to a doctor. A rocket doctor. The rockets come to me when they twist a stabiliser."

_Anne gave a false laugh at his lousy joke and turned back to her drink._

"What's your name?"

"Anne."

"I know that much. I'm James Possible."

"Weird Name."

"What's yours?"

"Anne. Anne A'tomy."

"Right back at'cha."

_The man Drew was distracting was extremely frustrated now. He stood up. Drew was an unusually tall man so he should have had the height advantage. He was also prone to stooping, especially when threatened. The other man was threatening now._

"Move it freak, and take your friend with you. She's not interested."

"Your shoes untied."

"No it's not."

"Oh… ah…. _Snap_!"

_Drew head butted the man who fell back into the crowd. His friends noticed the fight erupt and tackled Drew. Soon a brawl erupted between Upperton and Middleton college students._

_Anne gasped_. "Your maniac friend just hit my brother!"

"Brother? Nooo, no, no, no, no, he's not my friend, we just… carpool."

* * *

(It wasn't the most successful first meeting ever. Poor Drew was banned from the club after hitting your Uncle Larry. We made it up to him latter, in fact since we had a last name we tracked him down to his job managing a comic store to say sorry. Turns out he was also a fan of Captain Constellation so we got along pretty well and after numerous failed schemes by both Larry and Drew to put your mother and I in the same room I finally just asked her out and she agreed.)

_**

* * *

**_

18 Years Ago

_James was freshly shaven, smelling great and was wearing the most expensive tux of his love. All that was left was to fix up the darn bowtie that was giving him trouble. Exasperated he opened the door and went out into the hall to find his Best Man._

_Drew's door opened at the same time._

"Drew can you…."

"James do you…."

"… fix up this bow tie?

"… know how this darn goes?"

_James sighed_. "Never mind. I'll go find my mother."

"Hang on, I think I should go with you. Hey…!"

_Drew shot back into his room and took out a helmet device with a number of gizmos attached. _

"I built this for you. I call it the _Groove-inator_! It will download any dance move scanned right into your brain. I spent all of last night getting it to scan Elvis videos!"

"Drew, I'm not going to… Elvis...? Why Elvis?"

"My mother says no woman can resist Elvis."

* * *

("I didn't end up trying the device until our second anniversary. For the record it actually worked. See….")

("_Dad,_ stop! Quite jiving and get back to the story!")

* * *

"… I would like you all to raise your glasses with me to the happy new couple. Dr Mr and Dr Mrs… Possible. I hope the possibilities are endless for the both of you."

_The quests seated around the reception hall clamped for Drew's speech and drank to the newly married couple's good health. _

_Drew finished off his glasses of Champaign and raised it to the couple sitting next to him._

"Rockets are Go, good buddy. Rockets are _Gooo_!"

_The crowd laughed at Drew's final gesture._

...

_Later the Possible's took photos with different family members and guests. _

"Hey Drew, get in here," _James called to his Best Man._

"No, no. You and Anne take one together. Just the two of you."

"We have plenty of them," _Anne protested_. "Come on Drew. We want you in this one."

* * *

("Drew was even there the day you were born Kim.")

* * *

**Middleton Hospital**

**16 Years Ago**

_Drew searched the corridors of the hospital, lost but too stubborn to ask for directions. Finally he spotted his friend staring lovingly through a giant window. Inside were a dozen little newborn babies being cared for by the nurses._

"James, did I miss it, what happened?"

_James eyes watered as he replied._ "That's my little girl in there Drew."

_Drew wiped his glasses and stared through the window._

"James, there are a dozen babies in there."

"Second row, third from the left."

"_Noooo_…," Drew questioned.

_James was so proud._ "Yep."

"No, I mean... that one's wrapped up in blue."

"_Oh_. I meant the right."

"Ah, there we go. Oh, what a darling. Hello little…?"

"Kim."

"Kim Possible," Drew Lipsky repeated the name. "We meet at last."

"Drew…," _James stammered_. "Anne and I were talking earlier. We wondered…."

"What? You want me to go grab a few of Anne's things? Pick your mother up?"

"I wanted to ask you if you would be Kim's godfather."

_Drew blinked back his complete surprise_. _He had never imagined such and honour_. _When his mind was able to form coherant thoughts again they were generally along the lines of 'Oh boy. This is big. what if I screw this up?'_

_James waited for Drew's answer. Drew could see how anxious the new father was. How dissipointed he would be if Drew declined._

"Sure buddy," _Drew wrapped his arm around his friend. He was still a little shell shocked but he needed to be there for James. Imagine how he felt right now? Neither of them had infinate confidence in the real world, just in their work._ "Don't worry, I won't screw this up. I'll look out for Kim. I promise."

* * *

Dr Possible put some chocolate cookies on a plate and slid them across to Kim on the breakfast table. He then poured them a glass of milk each. All of his bags were packed and piled up next to the front door.

"I'm surprised you don't remember more of Drew. He used to baby sit for us, and he was _always_ trying to sneak you candy under our noses. You used to call him Uncle Drew."

"I'm sorry dad. I wish I did," she trully did wish. Drew was clearly just as improtant in her fathers life as Ron was in hers. "I'm sure I would have loved Uncle Drew."

James sat down next to Kim and grabbed himself a cookie.

"He was a little like Ron maybe. Eccentric, but with a good heart."

"So what happened to make him leave?"

"Do you remember when I broke my leg?"

Kim nodded. "That was the day I meet Ron."

James nodded back grimly. He hadn't realised that it was the same day. "You see there was an accident at the space centre. Drew's latest and greatest creation escaped containment…."

_**

* * *

**_

Middleton Space Centre

_**12 Years Ago**_.

_James walked into the Middleton Space Centre, pulling on his lab coat._

"Morning Dr Possible," _a deep, slippery voice called out. It startled Dr Possible out of his thoughts._

"_Oh_.... Hey Joe. Sorry, I didn't see you there."

_Joe slinked around the corridors of the Middleton Space Centre with his mop, always Johnny on the spot when a coffee was spilled or a rubbish bin was filled. He was eerie like that. He gave many of the scientists, James and Drew included, the creeps_. "That's ok Dr Possible," _he said with that darn slippery voice_. "I get that all the time. You were heading to Drew's lab?"

"Yes actually. So we can argue about the virtues of his wondrous synthetic material again."

"Wondrous? That's the word most of the big wigs are using. Maybe you can think of a few... fresh _adjectives_ to describe it?"

"Maybe."

...

"Morning Dr Possible," _one of the lab assistants greeted him when he walked into Drew's lab_. "How is your J-200 fuel project going?"

"I was going to show it to the board next month. Drew's…? _Ah_."

_He spotted Dr Drew Lipsky sitting behind at a lab table in the corner. Next to his work station stood the infamous RF-16 tank._

"How's Kim?" _Drew asked as James walked over_. "Did she try to hug your leg and not let go?"

"A trick she learned from you? Actually she hugged Anne's leg but I managed to get her to bravely march inside."

_Drew chuckled_. "Gave her the old 'Anything is Possible' speech again, huh? One day she'll get wise and use it against you and _you'll_ wish she was still clinging to your leg."

"Quit it. And tell me why _that_," _he pointed to a tank labelled RF-16 and marked with a skull & cross_, "hasn't been disposed of yet."

"_That_ is what I need you help with. I've already managed to eliminate the toxic spore problem but it's still fatal on contact. I'm running out of ideas."

"Then scrap it."

"It works!" _Drew countered_. "I've managed to introduce all the properties I originally targeted and then some. I've had NASA and Pentagon officials in here and telling me RF is going to change everything! I can't just give up now."

_James sighed_. "Show me."

_Drew walked over to a thickened glass box next to the RF-16 tank. Using the lead gloves attached from the inside he opened a small lead box. The ticking of the Geiger-counter inside the box meter went ecstatic when the uranium was revealed. _

_He signalled to one of his six lab assistants. The man opened a small valve allowing RF-16 to slowly fill the safety box. The blue substance oozed through the piping and over the uranium. The Geiger counter stopped ticking._

"Radiation can't penetrate it?" _James asked_.

"Actually the substance appears to completely soaks up the ionized radiation. If that's the case I'm not even completely sure how it's doing that!"

_Drew listed the formulas other properties while James studied the chemical in the box._

"It's also been shown to have extreme durability, flexibility and elasticity even in a vacuum. It gives off a steady supply of breathable oxygen, or breathable now that the spores have been eliminated, and it is a highly effective insulator material."

_James stuck his arms into the gloves and started manipulating the RF-16 ooze. It was similar to his daughter's playdough only more slimy._

"James, the _ooze_ you're playing with will be the next generation of space enviroment suit."

"If you can solve the slight death on contact problem," _James corrected_.

"If _we_ can solve that."

"Does it have any weaknesses?"

"Oh yeah."

_Drew walked over to his desk and pulled out a spray bottle labelled_ 'Exit Mould.' _It took a moment for James to comprehend_.

"You're kidding me."

_Drew gave his friend a cocky smile as he twirled the spray bottle in his hands_. "Nope. First thing I did, engineered the formula to dissolve in a solvent of my choosing. Since it already had some similarities with your common everyday mould…."

"Alright genius, smooth move. You got enough to kill it all?"

"Hooked up to hoses spread around the lab and ready to go."

_James pulled the RF-16 back to observe the uranium. The Geiger counter ticked again but at a less rapid pace than before. _

"See how easy it is to manipulate? And after you let it go though it just snaps back into place. Although admittingly with surprisingly incredible…"

_James pulled it back further to test what it could do. Just like Drew was attempting to explain it snapped back with surprising force. More than James anticipated. _

_The ooze substance slammed into the uranium. The super dense material shot into the other side of the box like a bullet, shattering the thickened glass. Most of the lab technicians gave quick screams of surprise at the sound of glass smashing._

"… force." _Drew's jaw dropped._

"Oh shit," _James cursed in surprise. He was quick to remove his arms from the gloves and step away from the box as the blue ooze spilled out onto the lab floor. _

"Evacuate the building!" Drew commanded. "James, get away from it!"

_James did so. He turned his back on the substance and ran for the lab's exit same as most of the other technicians. One unfortunately was trapped behind the ooze advancing across the floor. _

_Given a split second choice between running and helping, Drew dashed over. Taking off the lid to his Exit Mould bottle he spilled the solution out onto the floor to clear a path through the ever widening bridge of ooze. When he reached the frightened technician he urged him to climb on top of a table._

"Drew, you ok?" _James shouted_ _from the door._

"We're fine, it can't get us here! Just hit that big red button, other side of the door!."

_James did so. The liquid tight doors locked shut. Hoses interspaced around the room sprayed down the toxin with solution, killing it and clearing a path to the trapped occupants. The _'Exit Mould' _killed RF-16 on contact, beating it__ back_.

_Exit Mould had its own disadvantages, however._ _After a few seconds the chlorine smelling solution was making the two men trapped in the room were feeling dizzy. Drew mentioned quietly to himself_, "You know…. Maybe I should have put some thought into gas masks."

_Both he and the technician held their heads before falling off the table into the dead RF ooze. Drew whacked his head on the side of another table as he fell, loosing his glasses and cutting his forehead deeply. James screamed and banged on the locked door from the other side, unable to help._

_Joe ran down the corridor wearing a gas mask and pushing his cleaning trolley. He handed James another gas mask saying, "_Put this on_." He didn't stop to make sure James followed his order before he pulled out a crowbar and broke open the doors._

_Joe raced inside with the trolley. With the help of James he laid both Drew and the technician across it and wheeled them both out of the room. They were almost to the door when someone pulled the fire alarm. It made sense, it was the fastest way to evacuate the building and alert the authorities. Unfortunately the fire alarm automatically activated the sprinkler system._

"It's washing the solution away!" _James yelled in his gas mask while he dragged Drew. Joe looked back. James was right. Indeed the solution was being diluted and washed away while the RF-16 tank was still mostly full. It kept pumping more and more formula into the damaged box where it promptly spilled onto the floor. Worse, the ooze floated on the water and spread faster._

_The blue ooze advanced again._

_When they got into the corridor Joe took off his mask and put in on the technician. James did the same for Drew._

"How do I stop it?" _Joe demanded_.

"Exit Mould. Lots and lots of Exit Mould!"

"So if I said I had five refill bottles…?"

"No. Not enough."

_Joe grunted in annoyance. _

"Might be a bad time to mention it but there's also a piece of uranium rolling around in there as well."

"_Oh_ shit! I came here to get away from you mad scientist types. Anything else I should know?"

"The toxic spore problem was solved."

"You take them. I'll see what I can do to slow this mess down."

_James had just started to push the trolley when Joe said_, "Stop!"

_He dug into the bottom compartment of the cleaning cart and pulled out his Exit Mould refills_. "I _was_ wondering what Dr D. wanted a tank of this stuff for."

_While James took the two unconscious scientists and ran, Joe emptied the bottles of cleaner on the floor ahead of the advancing ooze. _

...

_James pushed the trolley down the corridor toward the elevators. He pressed the activation button again and again but they didn't respond. _

_A nearby sign said _'_In an Emergency use the adjacent stairs_.'

"Oh, that's just great! Wheel two bodies down the stairs."

_He used this opportunity to perform some basic medical checks his wife had taught him for use in an emergency. The technician was fine. To his horror Drew wasn't breathing._

"Oh no, Drew!"

_James laid Drew on the ground, ripped off the mask and performed CPR. He could only hope that it was enough to keep him going until some real help arrived._ _He didn't notice that the technician Drew had saved had begun to stir. He was too busy trying to save Drew's own life. The groggy man woke, looked at his surroundings and attempted to take his mask off._

"Whoa, hey," _James stopped him, momentarily turning his attention from breathing for Drew_. "I think you should leave that on for a bit. Can you walk?"

_The technician held his aching head but nodded. He succeeded at standing up at began stumbling for the stairs._

"Hang on," _James called after him while trying to pick Drew up_. "I need your help to get Drew out of here!"

"Screw that asshole! This is his fault," _the technician called back. Then he was gone._

_Incredulous, James called after the man_, "He just saved your life!"

_It was another minute before Joe found James trying to keep Drew alive._

"Damn it! You should have dragged his lifeless ass down to the ambulance by now."

"He's not breathing! They need to come get him."

"No one's coming up here! That blue gunk is heading this way, sloshing around on the water."

_Next to the stairway was a janitorial closet. Joe kicked it open and took out his buffer._

"No-one else back that way. Last out pays for the meal, you should know that."

_He swung the buffer to break the glass. They were on the second story of the building._

_The egghead goes first._

_Joe threw Dr Possible out the window._

_Next he slung Dr Lipsky across his back and followed._

_..._

_Medical staff ran up to the men who had just jumped, attempting to rush all three back to the ambulance. While he hurt all over and had twisted his ankle, Joe had been ready to roll to break his fall. He wasn't in anywhere near the bad shape that the two doctors where in so he ordered they be taken first. He also ordered one of the medics to immediately help him limp over to the cleanup command centre. _

_At first the medical officers refused. Then he pulled out a card and a badge. James had no idea what either meant and unfortunately for Joe neither did the medic. The medic did get the point when Joe put him in a headlock._

_Soon after Joe entered the command tent all units where ordered to pull back from the facility while a call for large quantities of Exit Mould went out. The next day Joe was put in charge of the cleanup operation_.

* * *

("Joe has that kind of pull?")

("I don't what kind of pull Joe has. I do know when he says something the authorities pay attention. All he ever told me was that he had a pen pushing government job but he got sick of the hours and the hairline deadlines. He thought being a janitor would keep him out of trouble.")

("He called that wrong. I'm glad he called it wrong daddy. I'm glad he saved you and Drew.")

("Soon afterward he transferred to the high school. I guess he got what he wanted. Drew wasn't so lucky. After a lengthy review process they pinned everything on him and fired him….")

* * *

"What about that technician whose life you saved?" _James protested. He wasn't yet out of the cast so he wheeled himself around Drew's apartment in a wheelchair._

"_Oh,_ he testified," _Drew confirmed while he packed up his apartment_. "He crucified me. Railed on about the insufficient security procedures; corners cut, how catastrophic life was only barely averted. He's being promoted by the way, I think he may be your new boss."

"Joe was there! He…!"

"Has been officially barred from speaking out." _Drew shrugged_. "Apparently someone important doesn't want Joe's past dug up. It's not his fault."

"Well that leaves me! No body has talked to me yet! If I tell them the truth…!"

"_No_!" _Drew whirled on James and shouted him down. It was easy to do when the guy you're shouting down is stuck in a wheelchair and unable to move easily_. "You're not getting messed up in this witch hunt. Not when you have Anne and Kim and the new baby to think about. This whole accident has been an embarrassment. A lot of money down the drain and a lot of high level benefactors who want to see it buried. You're lucky none of the others happened to witness you're little _slingshot trick_!"

_James recoiled at the venom in Drew's voice. Drew noticed this and toned his voice down_. "The report says it was a combination of faulty equipment, poor overseeing, and lack of sufficient countermeasures. To one degree or another it's all true. Better that formula ate through the glass without my notice then it was shattered by you're hand."

_James was defeated_. "But it wasn't even your fault."

"Yes it was," _Drew said earnestly_. "You warned me. You said it was too dangerous. And you didn't see the photos.... Test animals a floor below. Trained monkeys and...."

_Drew halted. He didn't want to think too much about the photos. The investigative board had made him view each one._ "I thought I was making a space suit. All I made was a grisly weapon. Somthing horrifying."

* * *

James Possible stood in his living room, leaning against the fireplace and staring at his wedding photo. Anne and his younger self stared back and laughed merrily because it was the happiest day of their lives. Unfortunately a key player in making it so was no longer around.

"Drew sold his apartment and went to stay with his mother for a month, then just packed up and disappeared. Mrs Lipsky told me later was having trouble finding a job using his degree because he was blacklisted. No one would give him a chance. Instead Drew worked as a checkout boy until the humiliation drove him away."

Kim comforted her father by giving him a hug. "It wasn't your fault Daddy."

"Thank you Kimmie cub. Anyway, he must have found a job of some sort. Two years later checks started arriving, more than enough to money for Mrs Lipsky to live comfortably. It even set her up in a nice retirement village next to Nana Possible in Florida. Still, there's never been a letter or even an address along with the money."

"Then maybe one day you will see him again. It sounds like he's doing ok. You two were so close, I'm sure he wants to see you again too."

"Well…," James wasn't so sure. "Did any of this help with you're problem with Ron?"

"I think it did Daddy. Friends are too important to split apart. I'm going to make sure nothing comes between Ron and me again."


	7. Ch 6: Shadow of Chernobyl

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible™ or any character, location or event from that said show. Or the video game of the same name. **

* * *

Ch 6: Shadow of Chernobyl

_**Prypiat, Ukraine**_

_**Former Population: 50,000**_

_**Currant Status: Abandoned**_

Deep in the rainforests of South America and South East Asia there exits the ruins of once mighty cities. Massive temples to rival European marvels such as the Roman Colosseum. Over time these wonders have been lost to humanity, swallowed up by the jungles. They cannot be viewed from the air; the foliage is just too thick. They can only be witnessed from the ground, traversing the perilous jungles until after sighting nothing but bush, bush and more bush; a magnificent structure will appear in front of you. Despite its obvious size you would never knew it was there until you're standing practically right on top of it.

Even then the bush continues to obscure the full bulk of the structure. It also masks the other structures hidden in the surrounding area, creating the illusion that only this singular temple was built here, probably by an obscure religious community people that wanted to find a place of solace. Like monks in a monastery.

This illusion is dispelled only when the area is intensely surveyed and the data input into a computer. Computer generated models of reveal that this was no small colony. It was a thriving city. Not hundreds of people or even thousands but a million and more. More people lived, laughed, grieved, played and died in these archaeological sites than in the history of some nations. Lost cities like these were the New York's and Hong Kong's of the world at a time _before_ London was advanced enough and populated enough to be called a backwater river side town. Even at its ancient height Rome never came close to the population or engineering majesty of these civilisations.

Then disaster struck. The rivers that supplied the cities with precious water dried up or shifted away. The forests were depleted of resources such as food and lumber. Maybe the trade caravans found easier paths such as the sea routes. In South America the disaster was the coming of European diseases, namely smallpox, which spelled their doom. When conservative estimates put the death toll in the Americas at 80% you know a mind numbing disaster has occurred.

The people left and their beautiful cities were swallowed up by nature.

Prypiat was not beautiful. It was concrete and it was square. Nor did a million people ever live here. It was built to support the workers of the local power plant and their families, provide them with homes, schools, medical care, and retail businesses.

Prypiat _was _subject to a mind numbing disaster, one that resulted in the population being evacuated without even sparing the time to pack their belongings. They left and never returned leaving the city to be reclaimed by nature just like the cities of ancient civilisations. Two decades later the city belonged to the trees, and the birds, and the bears.

For Prypiat lay in the shadow of Chernobyl, site of the greatest nuclear disaster of the twentieth century; deep inside the exclusion zone which no one may enter without specific permission.

Dr James Possible stared at the dreaded reactor number four from the roof of an abandoned apartment building. It stood less than a mile away from the city; he had to drive further to his job at the Middleton Space Centre each day. Buried deep inside that concrete sarcophagus was death. The problem was that it would still be there long after the sarcophagus crumbled.

Today the radioactive levels in Prypiat were low enough that the Ukrainian government allowed guided tours of the city without the need for protective gear. Only _guided_ tours with experts along a safe route. There were still many known and marked hotspots to avoid in the forest, and unknown. Places where the Soviet liquidators had buried dangerously contaminated equipment. Those who were working in the area over a longer period of time such as the men decommissioning reactors one to three and the scientists studying the effects of radiation on the environment tended to wear protective clothing and spend their down time in lead lined structures. Safe food and water was brought in from outside the exclusion zone.

James stood in protective gear now. Green military issue NBC (Nuclear/Biological/Chemical) jacket and pants over his regular shirt and tie clothing. The suit wasn't the bulky 'space man' suit people would imagine, more like a thicker rain jacket and pants that still allowed for range of motion. The people handling RF-78 directly would be in the white, bulky 'space man' suits until it was proven to have no harm on life, plant or otherwise, as lab his results indicated.

He also had a gas mask though it wasn't strict requirement. He left it off now so that he could take in a proper view of this abandoned city with the trees sprouting up through crumbling road to grow as tall as or taller than the twelve story high building he was standing on. They grew in every street, every courtyard, the city centre; enclosing around the buildings until some can barely be made out from the air.

Another man in green protective gear walked up beside him, this one wearing the mask.

"Serene isn't it? Some may even say there's beauty in the way the area was left humans disappeared overnight to let nature take its course."

Masked the figure may have been, but he made no effort to disguise his deep, disquieting tone. His daughter once described the man's way of speaking '_being directly etched on your brain_.'

James turned to regard his old friend in amazement. The name tag 'Joe' was sewn to the right chest of his gear. "What are you doing here? How did you even _get_ here?"

"Arrived on the same flight as you James. Took some time off at the high school and picked up a part time job as a stewardess so I could fly for free." Joe added with obvious pride, "I bet the bowls on that aircraft never shined so bright."

James looked over his shoulder just to confirm they were alone. He leaned closer and demanded, "How did you even learn about RF-78's field test?"

"_Really_? That's why we're here?" The mystery man _almost_ sounded genuinely surprised, though his body language didn't convey that message. "I assumed it was another conference like the one on whether Pluto should be de-classified as a planet."

James continued to frown at him.

"Come on buddy! The two of us kicking back in Europe, we'll have fun! We can take in the sights…," Joe waved a hand at the deathly Chernobyl reactor; "I'll keep those pesky old world pickpockets off your wallet this time. Hey, maybe me could have one of those warm beers together while we're here?"

"That's Britain."

Joe leaned his head in an over exaggerated contemplation gesture. "Didn't that RF formula not work out so well last time?"

The rocket scientist dismissed the point. "This is meant to be a top secret test!" he complained. "High level government interest and security."

"Alright," Joe relented. "I had a bleach induced vision. Mole rat puke told me I had to tag alone and make sure no harm befell the father of my best student."

James put on a mock smiled and patted Joes shoulder with mock warmth. "Thanks for the vote of confidence… _buddy._"

"Oh…. _Technically_ I don't have permission to be inside the exclusion zone so it would be good if you could keep my presence to yourself…."

James reluctantly relented. "_Fine_," he agreed with a grumpy tone. It always irritated him how Joe could weasel out any confidencial information. He did not like _not_ knowing how the mystery man did that.

"Come _on_…!" Joe lightened his tone to something more casual and less creepy, even allowing a light Canadian accent. The closet he came to a friendly, kidding voice. "You weren't going to clean up the biggest mess in European without everyone's favourite janitor were you? This is my area of expertise!"

"_Nuclear Physics_?"

"No, I majored in chemistry actually. So when is this show going to start already, it's almost three O'clock?"

James briefly paused as he weighed up the consequences for spilling details on a secret test. Still, if Joe already knew the location, and knew that it was running late….

"The train carrying RF-78 got held up yesterday, trouble with the engine breaks. Apart from that everything was in place and waiting for my arrival. The Ukrainian government ended all visitations to the city a month ago and the army is vigorously patrolling make sure people stay out of the danger area."

James directed Joe to look in the other direction, away from the power plant and over ghost city of trees. "We're aiming to field test the solution in this 'urban' environment, see what effect it would have on both the buildings and the wildlife. Prypiat was chosen the only truly uninhabited place in the exclusion zone. Smaller villages are still inhabited by stubborn people."

"We'll be monitoring the formulas effects on the radiation levels and wildlife for years to come. If safely absorbs the radiation without harming the wildlife we'll move on to inhabited areas next time," James concluded. "We can begin deploying RF-78 to clean up the rest of the exclusion zone, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Murmansk…. We can tailor it for emergency use on nuclear powered submarines and aircraft carriers, nuclear waste dumps. Later we'll develop the formula for use in space as Drew originally intended."

Joe listened intently before asking the question on everyone's mind.

"And if it _does_ harm the environment?" he queried in all seriousness. "I don't think I brought enough Exit Mould."

"But _I_ did. I took great care to stress the plausible dangers to the guys upstairs when outlining this field test. We have a fleet of fire engines and an entire _air force_ ready to drop an Exit Mould bombardment if RF so much as kills a fly. Not that the lab tests show it could do even that. Even drowning in the formula it produces breathable oxygen."

"Then you've tamed Drew's monster," Joe contemplated this idea, "and you're going to pit it against that monster?" He pointed back at Chernobyl. Reactor number four.

James shook his head. "RF will only absorb radiation," he explained. "It won't stop nuclear materials from producing it. The only thing we can do with Chernobyl is bury it and bury it deep."

The pair took one more moment's solemn glance at the sarcophagus before leaving the roof of the apartment building and returning to the mobile operation command vehicle to check the status of the late cargo of RF-78.

As they exited the apartment building Joe started patting himself down.

"Hey, have you seen my wallet?"

...

The trucks carrying RF-78 and their escort from the train station arrived in the early evening. Too late to begin the field test though everybody on the team was ready and willing to make up for lost time. They donned their chemical suits and worked into the late evening, transferring the RF formula to the dispersal units. Extreme safety measures were taken until such time as RF was officially proven safe for human contact.

While the eggheads went about their work, Joe wormed his way over to the relaxing escort troops, intending to dig up some information on the hold up. They were hanging back, keeping out of the way and to themselves. Leaning against their APC, telling jokes, sharing smokes; soldier stuff. He stuck up a conversation with a small group around a table, playing cards.

"Mind if I sit in boys?" He asked innocently, taking off his mask to reveal a cheeky smile and speaking in a New Yorker accent. "I bring gifts from America." He reached into his pocket and produced a packet of couple packets of chewing gum. "Much better than those smokes, no smell to sink into the carpet."

Some of the boys looked annoyed; other grunted at the joke and kicked a seat out for him.

"I warning you now," Joe added, "I'm kick ass at cards. I don't want any hard feeling when I take your money."

"And do you have any money for _us_ to take?" one mountain of a man asked. Joe was unusually tall himself so mountain man didn't have a height advantage. What he did have were shoulders as wide as he was tall with two massive tree trunks hanging off them.

Joe took a couple of twenties out of his pocket. "Lost my wallet somewhere on the trip over so my mate leant me a couple of bucks. I reckon I could double it and pay him back by time you lot throw me out of the game for excessive winning."

The table chuckled at the newcomer's cockiness and double checked he couldn't see their hands.

Half an hour later Joe was indeed up, but only by an extra twenty. Mountain man was still in though he was bleeding dry. The largest pot holder was a short and fairly thin man, yet whose entire body language still screamed _dangerous_ to Joe. He had a straight face to rival any Joe had come across. He was confident that he could beat him at the table, but wasn't the reason he was here.

"Heard your train broke. Didn't hit a poor defenceless mutated deer, did you?"

"Engine break overheating alarm," the thin guy said, never taking his eyes off Joe, never betraying an emotion that could lead Joe to call a bluff.

"Didn't know what the thing was at first," a third soldier watching the game mentioned. "When you hear an alarm around here the first thing you do is put your radiation garb and beat a run for it. You can imagine dozens of men in green fatigue jumping off the train the moment it stopped. It was quite a disorganised shambles."

Thin guy ended the explanation with a glance. "We got it fixed in the end," was all he said on the subject.

"Surprised you didn't have him get out and push," Joe nodded to the giant.

He had expected an uproarious laugh, maybe a few chuckles. Instead everyone started looking real serious and over Joe's head. Joe turned his head around. Behind him stood the trooper's sergeant, head to toe in radiation gear and arms crossed in obvious displeasure. It was hard to tell with the full nuclear protection gear and mask on but the general body size and shape of the sergeant suggested a woman to Joe. Her soft voice, muffled by the mask, confirmed his appraisal.

"We're escorting a dangerous toxin and you thought it would be a good idea to play cards? And you're spreading you're bad habits to our American friends?"

"Apologies Mam," the giant snapped. The woman he was addressing was shorter than average, maybe not that much taller than 16 year old Kim by Joe's reckoning, but even the biggest of these men treated her with absolute respect. Maybe even fear. "We thought that since the stuff was delivered and being unloaded…."

"You watch that truck like a hawk until every last drop is unloaded," the sergeant ordered. Without another word every one of them picked up their weapons and gear and formed up a yard from the tankers, watching everything the American scientists did.

"You," the sergeant addressed Joe, "don't you have work to do? I can give you a toothbrush and point toward our latrines if you'd like."

"Actually the US army has made significant advances on hygiene past the use of a toothbrush. I could grab my kit and give them a proper scrab…."

"_Beat it_!"

Joe hurried off double time. The sergeant watched him go. When he was longer in sight, '_serious thin guy'_ approached her.

"You told us to play cards and act normal."

"I _know_ what I told you to do. I also told you not to talk to anyone until the unloading is complete and we're gone."

"He came over to us. He might've started asking questions if we told him where to stuff his money."

"And what if he starts asking why you're all speaking _English_?"

Behind her, _serious thin guy _stiffened as he realised the magnitude of the error he and the others had committed.

"The tankers are almost unloaded. Move out as soon as they are," the women ordered. "I'll stick around to make sure the operation goes as planned. I'll see about making sure your friend won't be asking any more questions."

Without another word the _sergeant _moved into the night toward the American scientist's camp and leaving _serious thin guy_ in charge. He grumbled at his mistake and leaned over to clear his winning of the table.

"Hey! That bastard took my money!"

...

As soon as he was out of direct sight Joe flicked through his stolen winnings.

"Tidy little profit," he chuckled, placing the money in his chest pocket. "All American dollars too, how bout that?"

"Alright, got to warn doc' Possible the escort's phoney. Then…, I'm going to wash out that girl's mouth with soap. See how she feels about lying to me after that."

Joe jogged to the command vehicle where James would be overseeing the entire operation.

He didn't notice the shadow moving quickly and quietly behind him until it was almost too late. A flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye alerted him to the danger.

Out of a tree her leg swung, level with his head. Reacting to movement Joe leaned back but the blow still hit him hard enough to knock him off his feet. His backside hit the concrete hard. Before he had the sense to roll away his attacker had already flipped out of the tree with impressive agility for someone wearing a full nuclear protection suit and mask. She straddled him and reached into his chest pocket, taking the card table winning.

"Thanks soldier boy. I've had my eye on this new club banana jacket for a while. It's green you see, and that's kind of my colour." She blew him a kiss through the mask.

Joe threw a punch. She caught it as he knew she would. What she didn't see coming was him grabbing her wrist and pulling her down for a head strike. Skull clashed with skull. Immediatly afterward Joe pulled his knee back to kick her off. To her credit the woman rolled forward with the kick, avoiding most of the force and coming back up on her feet before he had.

"Why don't you take that mask off and give me a real kiss beautiful. I mean it's the least you could do after taking my money."

Joe guessed she did not want her identity compromised or else his opponent would have ditched the bulky gear and mask by now. That was the reason he insisted on wearing his own gear after all. Not that the gear was slowing her down any.

"_Oh_, soldier boy got some wit and some moves? Maybe he's not a soldier boy, maybe he's an _agent_?"

"Oh shucks, I confess. I'm really a high school janitor. I snuck into this facility to give moral support to my old friend James."

"Ha! Well if you were _Empire_ I'm sure you would be a more convincing liar so I'm betting your Betty's little watchdog."

"Ah…, _no_. Actually I was telling the truth."

"Does it usually work?"

"I do find people tend to be sceptical now that you…."

He broke off in mid-sentence, trying to pull out a weapon. His opponent kicked it out of his hands… and paused for a second as she witnessed a handheld vacuum cleaner Joe had pulled on her smash against a structure wall.

Joe used the distraction, using his height to launch a vicious beat down at her head. The woman caught a devastating blow on the cheek that sent her reeling, yet she managed to duck a second. She came forward with a rapid series of open palmed jabs. Joe was forced on the defensive; inching backward, using his arms to roll away the blows. He slammed his fist into her stomach at the same time her knee crashed into his thigh.

The woman took a step back. She kicked for Joe's midsection. He caught her leg and pushed it away, countering with a shoulder charge while she was recovering her balance. Knocked to the ground the women rapidly recovered, entangling Joe's legs using her own and twisting. He toppled over. While he was down she harshly dropped the heel of her heavy boots into his gut.

Both rolled away and got back up. Joe struck with a fierce uppercut. She rolled around it and struck him simultaneously in the ear and his midsection. She kept on spinning out of striking range as Joe gasped in pain.

"Cute trick soldier boy," she admitted, rubbing the jaw under the mask, "now I'll show you what I can do."

She spread her arms, hands forward and to the side like an old west gunfighter. With a flick of her fingers each of them ignited in green flame.

Joes froze. His jaw dropped in amazement. "_Holy shit_," he silently mouthed.

"I think we found the first victim of RF-78."

...

Early next morning Dr Possible stepped into the command vehicle to overlook the final preparations for the RF-78s first test release. Already he had gone over the planned release with the supervising staff, observed the deployment sprayers undergoing final operational checks, insured all sensors were all in place and working… and ensured the clean up crews were standing by in case RF-78 reacted to life as its predecessors did.

He was confident that would not be the case. All lab experiments suggested RF-78 was safe.

"Good morning crew. Ready to change the world?"

"You know it Dr Possible," one of his assistants from Middleton answered. Another Ukrainian observer confirmed, "All stations ready, all instruments are green."

They were ready to begin the experiment. Dr Possible was immensely excited. "As my old friend would say if here were here, "_Rockets are go_!"

"Yes Dr Possible," the Ukrainian didn't know how to respond except to agree. "Success today will in future help rid my country of this radioactive poison. I think it is safe to say the eyes of the whole world will be on you today."

...

Joe woke up feeling drowsy and hurting all over. The left shoulder of his protection suit was shredded and he had deep claw marks underneath. His chest felt like it a bag of cement had landed on it, dropping from height.

Before making any sound Joe opened one eye and surveyed the area. Neither his captor or anyone else was in sight. He chanced sitting up, hoping he wasn't be observed by camera. Pain erupted in his inflamed chest.

"That girls fights hard," he winced.

Taking another survey of his situation Joe found his hands were cuffed behind his back. The cuffs were, in turn, tied to a beam in the rusting ceiling. Looking out the window he realised he was in carnival grounds. Just outside stood the four massive, rusted support pylons of Prypiat's Ferris Wheel, he recognised the yellow parachute shaped cars. He must inside the small control booth sitting astride the failing structure.

In far worse news, he knew the the festival grounds had four RF deployment pumps assigned to it, one for each corner of the grounds. This entire area would be smothered in a layer of blue goo the moment doc' Possible hit the go button.

"_Oh-ho_ nuts! I got a bad feeling RF isn't going to be as safe as the doc said."

Kneeling on the hard floor, Joe used his cuffed hands to begin taking off one of his shoes....

...

According to the clock in the command vehicle it was three to eleven. Almost show time.

"Are those fire fighting birds airborne yet?"

"Holding position and cycling the test zone. Loaded with solution and ready to drop the moment we register a negative reaction."

"Good. At least if something goes wrong we know we're ready for it. Hey," he asked one of the local assistants, "What's Ukrainian for "_Boy I hope this works_!"

"Хлопчик я сподіваюся, що це працює"

Dr Possible blinked a couple of times at the incomprehensible reply. "_Daah…, _boy I hope this works! Alright, stand by for RF-78 release into Prypiat test zone."

...

Deployment pumps around the Prypiat test zone came to life. Blue ooze erupted from their nozzles and slowly advanced across the uneven ground. It proceeded to envelop everything it could reach; building lobbies, tree roots, park benches, rusted swing sets, the mud of the bumper car rink.

The abandoned city of Prypiat was slowly being submerged in blue ooze.

A dozen monitor's receiving feed from cameras littered throughout the city allowed Dr Possible and his team to observe its spread. On screen men and woman in full chemical protection gear began to take samples of the ooze and plant life for later study. Aside from cameras there were also numerous instruments to check for ambient radiation levels or to read the gas makeup of the air.

"The air remains breathable Dr Possible. Oxygen to nitrogen count is a little on the high side but still well within safe levels."

"We got it. Rad count is falling," another assistant informed the team. Excited technicians clapped, some gave small cheers of, "_Yeah_".

"All right team, score one for us. But we haven't yet confirmed RF is safe and we aren't finished until we do know. One way or the other."

A few more seconds passed before one of the technicians monitoring the camera's urgently cried, "_Dr Possible_!"

James strode over to stand behind the technician.

"Here sir, second screen top row," the technician pointed to the monitor he was referring to. On screen one of the men collecting samples was holding up a horribly withered plant to the camera.

James didn't let a sinking feeling interfere with his professionalism.

"Tell him to bag and tag the sample priority. I want to know how that plant died by the end of today."

"Oh boy, we got more coming in sir," a second technician observing the monitors voiced. Sure enough more of the sample collectors were holding up dead or dieing specimens to the cameras for documentation; bushes, bugs, birds.

"Oh Christ," someone murmured, "the trees are turning brown!"

From outside came an insistent pounding on the door. The closest technician opened it and admitted one of the military observers.

"Jesus, James you have to see this."

James nodded. "Turn off the pumps. Recall the sample collectors. Prepare for extreme decontamination, and call in the solution," he ordered his team. "Kill it_ all_!"

He followed the observer and stepped outside. They climbed a small ladder to the observation deck on the roof of the command vehicle. There James had a better view of the devastation.

The leaves on every tree turned rapidly turned brown. James could see the sickness travel up the tree since the leaves at the top were the last to die. Then they all shed. Like brown paper confetti the leaves of hundreds of tree floated to the ground in a terrible death throng. The city was indeed going brown.

"Tell me the buffers between the city and the river are holding."

"They are," James confirmed. "We have it contained, whatever consolation that is."

The fire engines James had filled with Exit Mould as a precaution rolled into action. Their crews, all dressed in bulky chemical suits, turned the blue ooze back. The fleet of aircraft he had organised flew overhead, big planes designed to fight great wild fires and low flying crop dusters dumped their payload on the city before returning for a refill. They were followed in by helicopters with monsoon buckets.

Like in the lab twelve years before the RF formula turned white as it died. In a perverse way the city began to look like Christmas snow had covered the city.

"That's the second time this city had to die," James contemplated, before cursing the RF project.

...

After RF's demonstrated failure James Possible and his team of assistants retreated back to their on site lab to look for answers. The lab was housed inside a large self-contained, NBC tent a kilometre from the test site. All the samples collected that morning were brought back to this point for initial study and documentation. Far too many of the samples were of dead plant or small animal life.

First priority was to officially confirm that these samples did in fact die from RF poisoning. Afterward the team could move on to what went wrong. It was a grizzly task but it needed to be done. So Dr Possible worked late into the evening to ensure it _was_ done. He also remained in his lab long after all most of the others had left so that he may escape accusatory glances he was sure were following him around. He was sitting in a chair next to a microscope, confirming that this sample too had indeed expired due to RF poisoning and attempting to contemplate the numbing scale of this disaster he had caused.

Joe was escorted in by a pair of burly MPs. Gently; Joe requested to the MPs that they give him a minute to talk with the doc. They nodded and waited outside the airlock door.

"I heard they rescued you from halfway up the Ferris wheel," James said quietly without looking up, "A handkerchief over your nose and high from Exit Mould fumes"

"Yeah. Now that was trip," Joe confirmed with equal sombre. "Couldn't figure out if I was imagining the wheel and the airplanes over head, the sea of white beneath me. They say without my years of exposure to cleaning chemicals I probably would have passed out and become a pancake."

James shook his head. "What were you doing up a Ferris wheel?"

"Well I wasn't staying on the _ground_!"

"What were you doing in the middle of _my_ _test_ zone?!" an irritated James demanded, finally looking up at Joe and. It had been a long day and he wasn't in the mood for games. "_You_ of all people should know not to be in the middle of an RF release without the correct protective gear. You could have been killed!"

Joe shrugged. "I'm _betting_ that was the whole idea. Your formula was delivered by a phoney escort. They tied me up and left me out there."

It took James a moment to truly comprehend what Joe had just told him. Someone had tried to kill Joe? And that someone knew RF was lethal? He found it hard to utter his next words.

"_Tie_… _tied up_…?"

"Look, I just spent the last nine hours in an interrogation room with some very pissed off boys in green and I don't want to run through the details again. I'll just say it's a good thing I leave sterile wipes in the sole of my boot for emergency use and leave it at that."

While James was still attempting to mentally compute how sterile wipes would help anyone untie themselves, Joe opened the airlock door to the tent and whistled. A whole cohort of MPs entered and started packing scientific gear and samples into hazardous material lockers for transport. One handed Joe a coat which he tossed to James.

"You my friend are leaving for Middleton, _tonight_. So is the rest of your team. Your bags are packed and are already on the plane. These samples of _blue death_ are going with you; the MPs will escort you all the way until you're sealed inside your space centre lab. Sorry, no time to say hi to the family. You'll have work to do."

James barely comprehended what he was being told as men packed up his gear and Joe led him outside to a humvee waiting outside. "_Wha_… what's going on?" he finally managed to blurt.

"I managed to convince an old friend of the possibility RF was sabotaged. You're going to take this samples back your lab in Middleton to confirm it. Find out what went wrong. Look James," Joe squeezed his friends arm and made sure to look him in the eye so that he could convey how serious the situation had become. "Right now it looks like everything's badly set to hit the fan. This is your one and only _long shot_ chance to clear your name and prove RF may be viable. _Oh_, and don't watch the evening news; you are _not_ going to like tonight's top story."

Joe opened the humvee door. James refused climb inside.

"But I have work to do here! The clean up…, I can't just run away!"

Joe took the doc's arm and forced him in. "You're not running away. I'm _sending_ you away, and I'm doing it before certain people realise what I'm doing. I won't lie, tomorrow a _lot_ of angry people are going to demand to know why you were allowed to leave the country but getting you and your team back to the Middleton lab is our best chance at learning what went wrong. Don't worry about the clean up, I have experience in that area. I'll take care of it."

"_Wait_!" James yelled. He put his leg out the door to prevent Joe from closing it. "What _exactly_ did you used to do that gives you so much pull?"

Joes entire tone and body language changed to something more reassuring. The light Canadian accent returned as he gave James a smile and a thumbs up. "I told you before doc. I clean up messes."

Without further explanation he threw James leg inside and closed the door. The driver immediately gunned the engine along the muddy dirt road and the vehicle disappeared into the exclusion zone night.


	8. Ch 7: Dr Drakken

Author's Note: Hey, guess what. Apparently 'mould' is spelt differently in American English. I never realised. Oh well, I'm sure you get the point.

**

* * *

**

Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible™ or any character, location or event from that said show. Or the video game of the same name.

* * *

Ch 7: Dr Drakken

The day after the disastrous cheer practice Kim was having trouble pinning Ron down long enough to apologise. He wasn't there to walk her to school. Her attempts to ambush him by his locker seemed doomed to fail and he did his best to ignore her presence during class, grabbing a seat next to his video game buddy Felix instead.

She probably could have forced him to talk to her if she approached the issue more aggressively. However, as much as she desired to talk to Ron with all her heart, she was also dreading it. She feared what he had to say like she had feared her cheerleading tryout only a million times worse! If Joe could see what a coward she was being…. But Joe wasn't here for some reason. She was on her own.

Her first real opportunity to corner Ron came at lunch.

Working up the nerve to stand her ground and apologise she tentatively approached the far corner table which Ron and Felix were seated. As she passed through the centre of the cafeteria a small group of the cheerleaders called out to her and waved Kim over. Kim gestured back, shaking her head in an uncertain manor, pointing toward Ron's table.

"What do we have here?" Bonnie muttered.

"She probably just wants to make up for yesterday," Tara answered, "don't worry about it."

"Make up for what?" Monique challenged down the other end of the table. "If either of you know why Ron bailed yesterday…?"

Bonnie shrugged. "No idea. He probably just felt pressured and lost his nerve. Not cut out to deal with a crowd I think." She continued to eat her meal, keeping a suspicious eye on Kim. Disgusted, Monique picked up her tray and took the long way to the clean up area, purposefully strolling past Kim.

"YGG. You go girl. Don't let him slip away."

Encouraged by Monique Kim walked up to Ron, tray and pride in hand. "Hey guys," she greeted hesitantly, betraying her anxiousness in even talking to her best friend. "Can I sit here?"

Felix rolled his wheelchair aside to make space between himself and Ron. To his embarrassment Ron simply said, "No. That seat belongs to Rufus."

At her name, Rufus lifted her head out of the salad portion of Ron's meal. ("_Oh no, you're not dragging me into this. I've suffered enough punishment at the hands of your '_teen issues'.") She jumped away from Ron into Felix's food.

"Well he's not _using_ it," Kim observed over Felix's complaint about a mole rat diving into his food.

"Yeah, but he _marked_ it."

A series of annoyed squeaks from Rufus suggested otherwise. ("_I'll _mark_ your pillow if you keep that line up. I'm a _lady_, I use the litter box_.")

Unsure if Ron was serious Kim pulled another unoccupied seat out from a nearby table. "Can I borrow this? Please and thank you!"

She set her plate down next to Ron as Felix pushed his away. The _marking_ comment was the final straw before he surrendered his food to the rodent.

"Look Ron, I really need to apologise for some things I said yesterday."

"Things, what things? I don't know about things. What are these things you speak of?"

"Look, I _know_ you overheard some things I said in the changing room. I'm sorry about what I said. You're not an embarrassment. Not to me."

Ron wasn't so easily swayed this time. "_Oh_, although apparently my comical antics _do_ make for a good yarn during a sleepover, help break the ice. Tell me, did you happen mention how I ran crying from _Pirates of the Caribbean_?"

"_No_!"

"You ran from the theatre? Why would you run from the theatre?"

Both Felix and Rufus looked astonished.

"The undead Monkey," Kim said. "Please don't ask."

("_Darn boy, you have issues_.")

"What about the time I mistook a bottle of red finger paint for ketchup? Or maybe when the mechanical horse outside the supermarket malfunctioned with me on it?"

"_Ron_!" Kim's face fell from frustrated to guilty. "I might have mentioned the mechanical horse," she muttered.

"How about turning up at your place on Friday ready to take you ice skating? Or my attempt to get on your precious cheer club. How about the story of how Ron Stoppable never realised he was such an embarrassment to Kim Possible! I bet that story was a real hoot!"

His words pierced at Kim's heart. She wasn't yet willing to give up yet she didn't know what to say. Fortunately Felix came to her defence.

"Come on dude, that's taking it too far. She's trying to apologise here."

Remorse for his angry outburst showed on Ron Stoppable's face but he crossed his arms and refused to comment further.

"It was wrong of me tell the other girls those things," Kim told him with a quiet strength in her voice. "I didn't do it to make fun of you. We were talking and they wanted to know more about me, about my life. All I could think to answer them with is stories of the adventures we've have. The times you've made me laugh or made me mad or tried to cheer me up…."

…

"I'm not liking this," Bonnie whispered to some of her closer friends on the squad. "If she patches things up with that scum sucking rodent we may have to endure him at cheer practice. Worse, it might decide to bring Stoppable along too."

Most of her audience tittered in agreement.

"If Ron wants to be mascot there isn't anything we can do about it," Tara pointed out, not laughing at Bonnie's put down. "You're just going to have to live with it."

"I'll show you what I can do about it. Just watch."

"_No_, leave it alone Bee!"

Tara pleaded to in vain to a being that felt no remorse. No pity. Bonnie took her tray and stalked toward her prey.

…

"…. I got to talking about you because you're every part of my life. I couldn't tell them who I am without telling them about you."

It was grudging, but a change was coming over Ron. He was listening more intently now. "I should have been more thoughtful. I had no right to spill on all your worst moments. I thought I was conveying to them what a great friend you are, how you've always there for me and that you never let anything get you down. All they took from that was a walking joke. Joe was right to call me a clown."

Ron had been growing more solemn during Kim's speech. He didn't want this to get between them either. He just wanted to forgive her.

"Joe called you a clown?" he asked after a moment.

"He said it was for not having my best friends back covered," she confirmed with hopeful little smile. Ron was starting to open up to her.

"Silly Joe. Clowns have red noses, not red…."

He stopped and looked over Kim's head.

"_Hi_!" Bonnie greeted the assembled group sweetly.

...

"Kim I just wanted to give you a little reminder about the basketball match against Raymond High on Thursday. You should be so _excited_, your first performance with the squad. Amelia will probably want to pull you aside and give you a peep talk during practice, okay? She would have done it yesterday, but… you know."

Bonnie managed to look sheepish mentioning the previous day's practice. No trace of guilt, though maybe a little satisfaction was evident over her carefully controlled expressions of emotion.

"I _know_ more than you think…."

"_Oh_," Bonnie continued, cutting off Kim's attempt at an angry comment, "Raymond is a little out of the Tri-City area so Mr Barkin wants us on the bus early, say around 2:30."

She pretended not to be aware of the deathly stares she was receiving from Kim and Ron; in fact she acted as if she had only just noticed him.

"Ron, I'm _so_ sorry you won't be joining us. I know you tired your very best last night but…," her ability to appear sympathetic was astounding, "I guess it _just_ wasn't good enough. I want you to know though Kim battled for you like a real trooper; it was the rest of the squad that decided you didn't meet our standards. She was so disappointed you didn't wait around; why her game was off the whole practice."

Bonnie tried to squeeze Kim's shoulder in a comforting gesture during her condolence speech. She pulled away, not letting Bonnie touch her.

"My game was _not_ off," she hissed back.

Ron eyed Bonnie, beginning to work out her game. "Yeah. Kim's a real trooper," he agreed. The words sounded hollow to Kim and it disappointed her. "And I know just how sorry _you_ are so why don't you move along and me talk to my best friend."

Instead of complying, Bonnie took a more brazen shot.

"You know, maybe it _is_ too bad. I mean from everything Kim told us you must have a natural ability to make people laugh. I bet it just follows you around everywhere."

All her pretence of sympathy was dropped. Ron was visibly steamed; he was on the verge of standing up and forcing Bonnie away. Kim beat him to the punch.

"_That is_ _**enough**_!"

She had shot out of her chair and was glaring at Bonnie eyeball to eyeball. There had been times the previous afternoon when Kim had quietly objected to Bonnie. Thirty seconds earlier that had evolved to passing a comment between strained teeth.

This was something else. All restraint was past. The force of her voice carried across most of the cafeteria and attracted a _lot_ of attention. Onlookers were amazed anyone would address Bonnie in such a way, much less the always cheerful Kim Possible. The cheerleaders all winched. A rift in their squad was forming very fast.

With the crowd watching Bonnie backed off a little, playing the wounded party. Her tone was one of pity.

"I try to show some sympathy and you bark at me."

She looked past Kim to address the table. "_Stoppable_! You let your pet rodent run loose in the cafeteria?" she questioned with a disapproving parent voice. "I'm not sure that's in the best health interests of the school. Maybe you should leave before I report it."

It was clear to Ron he had lost this round. Her 'loose rodent' had caused a squeal or two around the room. Those seated at close tabling shifter uncomfortably in their seats, attempting to inch. Others around the cafeteria openly stared in disgust.

He also had to consider Rufus. She had become increasingly agitated. She was standing alert, arching her back, baring her teeth and growling. The aggressive posture was potentially more ammo for Bonnie's arsenal.

Mad beyond words Ron carefully picked up his little friend, placed her in his pocket and pushed past Kim. He walked away from the confrontation.

Rufus squealed gave two final angry squeaks before they were both gone.

("_Kanly_! _**Vendetta**_!")

Only hearing a high pitched squeal, most of the assembled students shuddered.

...

"Ron."

Kim tried to prevent him leaving but Ron pushed past anyway and didn't look back.

"Why would you do that?" Felix asked. His tone was more amazed than angry. Bonnie ignored him, but she could not ignore Kim Possible. She could step in the way.

"Answer his question." There was venom in her voice that seemed out of place.

"To save _your_ respectability and our cheerleading squad! You can thank me later."

Kim was incredulous. It was the most demented thing she had ever heard!

"My _respectability_? You _inhuman_…! That's the second time you've humiliated my best friend and think _my_ respectability needs saving? I know about the cell phone stunt you pulled yesterday, I ought to kick your butt from here to Upperton!"

"I'm sorry to have to be the one to explain this to you _Kimmie_, but cheerleaders _do not_… _hang_… _with losers_. We were all expecting you to give him up after a few weeks anyway, I just speed up the process and saved you some headache."

"What kind of world do you live in? This isn't a sit-com; cheerleaders don't shun their non-cheerleading friends in real life just because they're a little weird!"

Bonnie looked down on Kim with parental pity. _Such a naive little girl_.

"Well _I _don't! And I won't!"

"Please. You've already been trying to distance yourself from him for weeks now. All I did was finish what you started. The squad can't stand him so it was going to come down to a choice eventually; I'm just trying to watch out for you and see you make the right choice."

Repulsed, disgusted, ashamed and broken-hearted, Kim retreated from the cafeteria. She wasn't entirely sure Bonnie was wrong when she said Kim had been 'distancing' herself already. She was certain now that she would not let it continue.

She was also certain that she could never be friends with a creature as vicious as Bonnie Rockwaller. For that reason it brought her immense satisfaction to hear Bonnie scream before Felix followed Kim out the door.

"I hope Ron didn't want to finish his strawberry milkshake."

...

The rest of the afternoon was a nightmare. Cheer practice was tense. It was a rough evening with Ron not returning any of her phone calls. Yet after sleeping off the days disappointments Kim was more eager than ever to set thing right. She knew now what Bonnie intended an how close she had come to letting it happen. She must never let it happen.

A new day is always full of second chances.

"You look cheerful today honey," Anne acknowledged at the breakfast table. "Did you patch things up with Ron?"

"Not yet, but I will. Today, or tomorrow, or the next day; he can't avoid me forever."

Tim Possible elbowed his brother, whispering, "sounds like something the terminator would say."

"Hey," the other twin cried with excitement, "I think they just mentioned Dad on the radio."

Kim scrambled to turn the volume up on the kitchen radio so the family could listen. They all had immense pride in hearing their husband and fathers accomplishments over the radio. Only slowly did it dawn on them the reporter was using words like disaster and emergency.

"… _Space Centre_. _The Space Centre has refused to comment further about the disaster or research activities being conducted in the area, citing that the board is currently in an emergency meeting and is awaiting facts from the ground before making any statement."_

"_That's the News this hour, now back to the Middleton Mad House Mornings with_…."

"Kimmie, turn on the TV," Anne asked.

The family took left their breakfast cereals and took up position around the TV in the living room; Jim and Tim on the couch, Kim and Anne standing.

"…. _sources in the government have stated there was a toxic chemical spill and that a cleanup effort is now underway_. _Despite the lock down and sparse information from official sources a number of photos, video footage and other documentation has been smuggled out and leaked to the media, and we can confirm the devastation is _horrific_. Prypiat is now a dead zone. No life exits there_."

"_We're going to show you some pictures now so that you can see what I mean. I warn viewers that some of these images may be tough to view_."

The screen changed from the reporter standing outside a checkpoint to a slide show of death. Dead plants and bushes covered in a blue liquid. A sea of blue in a city centre. Men in bulky chemical suits and with fire hoses spraying the blue liquid and beating it back. An aerial view revealing the spread of blue formula down city streets. One further off show casing the cluster of lifeless brown trees in an otherwise sea of green.

The reporter's voice continued over the images.

"_You can see the… effect on plant and tree life. The devastation is incredible. Nothing lives here. Every part of Prypiat is devoid of life. Do not let the towering trees fool you; they are the only ones visible with no greenery whatsoever_. _We are also in possession of footage of wildlife caught by this toxic event. We consider them to be too graphic in nature to air, however I can tell you that contact with this blue substance led to a very rapid death in all cases_._" _

"_We do have one more photo to show you. One that we believe is so _shocking…_ it will become the face of this disaster in years to come_.

The slide show stopped. The final photo wasn't of a plant. It wasn't an animal. It was a man. A man climbing a Ferris wheel. His head was turned head to look back at the deadly sea of blue below him.

For added visual effect the TV station slowly focused in on the figure. Because of the distance the only details that could identify him were the green protective gear and a head of black hair. The reporter did not speak for a moment. He just let the implications sink in.

"_We do not currently know the fate of this man, climbing the Ferris wheel to escape the toxin event."_

The screen went back to the reporter outside the checkpoint.

"_Alongside these photos we have also obtained documentation that identifies the toxic substance as_ RF-78, _a top secret project of the Middleton Space Centre, created in conjunction with the military, under the supervision of Dr James Possible_…._"_

"Uh oh," the twins voiced their unease together.

Anne rushed from the room saying, "I have to call your father." Kim slumped on the couch and wrapped her arms around Jim.

...

The door opened and Kim stood inside.

"I didn't see you at school today."

Ron grunted. "I ditched. I know; Barkin will be on my case forever, but after the cafeteria…."

Kim nodded and led him inside.

"… _A comprehensive investigation into project director Dr James Possible findings that suggested 78 was safe, as well as into quote 'obvious fiasco' in Prypiat where one worker was forced to climb a Ferris wheel to escape with his life. This too was overseen by Dr Possible and serious questions about his competence have been raised among_…._"_

She switched the TV off and sat down on the couch.

Ron stared at the blank screen a while longer. "I only just heard. Is Dr P alright?"

"We can't reach him. No one will tell us anything."

Ron let his breath out slowly and quietly, fearing to disturb the sombre atmosphere.

"You know I would have been here sooner…."

He trailed off. Kim leaned forward, taking his hand and sitting him on the couch. She leaned on him for support.

"You're here now."

...

_Middleton Space Centre_

James and his Ukraine team arrived back at the centre early Wednesday morning under escort of MPs. A thin man of Asian decent and wearing large framed glasses was waiting outside for them. "Good to see you back boss. I wish it was under better circumstances."

"Good to see you too Bob. You're up early."

Bobby Chen shrugged. "Blame that on some official looking guys waving badges. They wanted everyone who worked on the RF project rounded up for your arrival. Mohinder and the others are inside. Call your family yet?"

"Can't. No one is allowed to know I've left the Ukraine."

"Sucks boss."

A man wearing a suit and a grim expression was waiting for James halfway to his lab.

"What are you doing back here James? Do you know how bad this is going make the centre look?"

"How bad it will make the centre look… or how bad _you're_ going to make me look?" James shot back. "I've seen a little of the news, and I remember how you hung Drew out to dry. Got you your first promotion didn't it?"

"I ought to suspend you and have security throw you out of here, but someone with a lot of pull wants you examining these samples. What is this about James?"

"Suspected sabotage. I'm meant to test to these samples and see if this really is 78. If not, I need to find out what it _is_ darn quick.

"Oh jeez, you mean someone did this to us?"

"_Me_. They did this to me."

...

James walked into his lab yawning, finishing a coffee as he pulled on his lab coat.

"Enjoy your nap Dr Possible?" Chen asked.

"It wasn't long enough," James complained, sniffing, "thank God for that couch. Find anything?"

"Talk to Mohinder."

James walked across to the lab computer, stealing a chair on the way. A plumb man of Indian decent, Mohinder Ramesh, greeted him as he pulled up beside the computer screen.

"Good morning Dr Possible."

Ramesh's command of the English language was very precise, though spoken with the accent of his homeland.

"These samples parallel the RF project closely, very closely. Their properties are virtually identical. The good news for you doctor is that this," he tapped a formula code on his computer screen, "is _not_ 78. It lacks the sophistication of the entire 70 line, or anything we have done in the past four years... _at least_. In fact I dare call it primitive in comparison."

"I suppose that _is_ good to know." James muttered though he wasn't exactly jumping for joy. "Now have the computer run this formula against every other RF batch we've ever produced starting with the 60 line and working back. I want Dr Lipsky's original 10 line and my concept RF-20 brought up from archive and added to the search. Find the closet match."

"You believe this inferior copy is somehow related to the RF project?"

"Why else would it be engineered it to die on contact with Exit Mould?"

...

Kim waited on the curb outside the Middleton High School with the cheer squad and the basketball team. The buses to take them to Raymond pulled up and they began an orderly boarding procedure under the watchful eye of Mr Barkin.

"_Kim_! _Kim_ wait!"

Kim stopped at the foot of the bus. Her friend Ron was sprinted toward her, arms flailing, waving a newspaper high in the air.

He was halted in mid step when the large bulk of Mr Barkin stepped in front of him.

"_Stoppable_! I already told you, you're suspended from all school activities; now get back to helping Ms Hatchet in the library before I give you another month of detention."

"This is important Mr B…"

"_Grr._"

"… arkin! Mr Barkin," Ron flinched. "It's Kim's _dad_."

Kim frantically pushed past Mr Barkin. "What about my dad?"

"Look!"

Ron held up the newspaper the lead story:_ Dr Possible Flees Country. Ukrainian Government/People Outraged._

Kim slumped in depression. "Thanks Ron."

"No, no! It says Dr P returned to the space centre early this morning. He's home."

"What?" Kim was confused. "He never came home this morning. He never even called!"

"It's because he's working on something at the centre," Ron explained. "They say no one is allowed into the centre and a couple of army guys are standing outside the building."

He turned to Mr Barkin. "You have to let Kim stay Mr Barkin. She should see her dad."

Mr Barkin considered this. "It's your choice Possible. I'll understand if you want to stay."

Kim bit her lip. She wanted to stay, "but the squad…?"

Amelia and Monique gave her encouraging smiles. "It's alright Kim," Amelia said, "this is more important."

Behind them Bonnie rolled her eyes but did not object.

"I think I'll stay Mr Barkin. I want to try and see my dad at the space centre."

"Very well Possible, though I only grant you permission to do so on the understanding that you _will_ take someone with you. Don't try to do this _you_," he glared pointedly at Ron, "I expect to sit in _my_ office… by _yourself_… and monitor your _own_ detention."

He winked.

"But than how will how will anyone know if I was there at all?"

"Oh Christ, just go with Possible you moron."

...

"Thanks Mrs Mahoney for driving us all the way to the space centre," Kim said as she got out of the car

"It's the least I could do after all the times you baby-sat for little Justin. I do hope they let you see your father. He doesn't deserve all this; he was always such a gentleman."

"I know."

Six police officers stood by their parked squad cars outside the main gate, keeping an eye on the vast swath of reporters. Their eyebrows were raised upon sighting the two teens pushing past the reporters toward the guard booth and they were considering turning them back. Instead they let them be when the guard cried warmly "_Kim_!"

"Shouldn't you be at school?" he asked when they were closer

"Mr Barkin let me flake on a school trip. Can I... come in? I want to see my dad."

"_Well_…, the agent guys…" the guard thought about it. "I suppose you're a known person, and I still you and Joe for helping me get this job. Those moves you showed me really impressed the security company."

The guard passed two VIP visitor badges to the teens, opened the large security gate. "Don't let the army guys scare you, they glare at everyone. I'll radio in and inform them why you're here."

...

Five MPs standing watch outside the main entrance did glare at Kim and Ron yet let them step inside without incident. They weren't getting past the one sitting at the security desk that easily, however.

"Hold it right there kids," he ordered. "We aren't allowing any visitors to the space centre today."

"You have to let us in," Ron argued. "We have badges,"

"No I don't."

"Yes you do.

"_No_… I don't."

"_Yes_… you d…."

Kim stepped in, cutting Ron off. ""You know what they're saying about my dad in the news. He hasn't even called since this all started. We're worried about him. I just want to see my dad for a moment. Tell him everything will be ok… and that we love him."

For added emotional impact, Kim subtly her lips to tremble and her voice to choke a little. Her pout tore at the MP's heart. He sighed in defeat.

"He's probably due for a break soon. I'll escort you to the cafeteria and inform him that you're here. The man could use the pick up."

"We know were the cafeteria is."

"Alright, but you stay there. Don't go wondering around the place."

"Please and thank you."

Ron waited until they were out of earshot before commenting, "That pout might be more dangerous than all of your mad martial art skills combined."

"Never give me a reason to use it on you and we'll get along just fine."

...

Not long after Kim and Ron entered the space centre a motorcade of four black SUV vehicles approached. The police officers yelled at the press to make room for the new arrivals and clear the entranceway. The vehicles pulled up to the main entrance of the Middleton Space Centre and halted at the checkpoint. Highly intrigued reporters and cameraman hounded the fleet of vehicles, shouting questions and trying to catch a glimpse of whomever it was talking to the security guard.

A person in the lead vehicle passed out a series of documents. The guard checked them over radioed in for confirmation. When everything checked out he removed a set of road spikes and opened the gate to let the convoy through. Oddly, the rear most SUV did not follow the rest up to the main entrance of the administration building, instead stopping at the gate to block the entrance.

Outside the entrance to the building five suspicious MPs watched and waited for their _very_ important guest and her escorting agents to step out. Instead, only one figure emerged from the lead vehicle. A woman. Dressed in a tight fitting green and black body suit….

...

Five rapid flashes of green could be viewed from the front gate. Simultaneously four men stepped out of the rear SUV left behind. Each of them wore uniform red overalls, with combat body armour overtop. Their faces were covered by black balaclavas. Goggles covered their eyes, giving them a bug like appearance which was further enhanced by a single antenna extending from the right side of their combat helmets. Each one was armed with a rifle of almost alien design.

They might as well have stepped out of a video game. Three were quick to open fire on the police vehicles. Their weapons made a searing, crackling noise as high energy plasma tore through the cool air, ripped through the gate bars and melted the vehicles. Reporters yelled in terror and fled. Some of the more suicidal cameramen angled for a better shot. Facing surprise and superior firepower the police urged everybody to run, firing a few shots over their shoulder as they also did so

One of the henchmen threw a metal orb into the escaping crowd. A pulse of energy tore through the panicked people and dropped them were they stood. Most were unconscious, others stunned and too disorientated to move.

The forth intruder forced his way into the guard booth. Quick to realise his mistake, the guard reached for the alarm button. A large hand came down on his shoulder and spun him around. The guard did not resist the pull. He spun and jabbed his fingers into the intruder's windpipe. His attacker stumbled back, dropping his weapon and clutching his throat. The guard pressed the alarm button.

The intruder's three companions approached, plasma weapons levelled. The guard had no choice but to put his arms up and surrender. One of the three slung his plasma rifle over his shoulder. At his prompting the weapons barrel closed back into the body of the weapon and it sealed into an egg shaped device half the original size. He exchanged it for a metal prong with jagged openings in hand, removing it from his belt. The prong extended into a staff. Each jagged end jolted to life, producing intimidating electrical sparks.

The guard was battered with this weapon. In a scream of agony he dropped to the floor. His hands and muscles quivered from the jolt.

The intruders looked at to each other wordlessly and shrugged. In an act of brutality they brought the staff down on the unfortunate man again.

...

An explosion of gunfire echoed down the corridor. Each teen jumped and gasped. It was louder than anything Kim or Ron ever imagined. As quickly as the burst started… it stopped.

Looking back down the corridor, Ron asked. "What was that?"

"I don't know, but I didn't like it."

The sound of boots pounding against the buffed floor echoed up the hallway.

"Someone's coming!" Ron whimpered.

"Come on."

Each of them ran. Not toward any destination, just away from the sound of approaching boots. It was hard to tell if they were gaining distance or if the boots were closing the gap.

"In there," Kim pointed to a supply room door. Ron tried the handle. It was locked.

"Let me try."

Kim stepped back and kicked the door in. Inside were the usual janitor items; toilet rolls, garbage bags, plastic '_wet surface_' signs, a buffer….

"Well now the door won't close!"

"Don't worry about it."

The boots approached rapidly. Soon they were at the supply room door.

Another man in red overalls and bug goggles poked his nose, and his weapon, through the door. He looked suspiciously at the broken lock and various items thrown on the floor. He took a very careful look around the room clearing shelving and blasting cardboard boxes and rubbish bags with plasma. When he was satisfied he had searched every nook he exited the room to catch up with the fading sound of boot steps.

In the ceiling above Kim and Ron watched through an air duct grate. They were carefully holding it too make sure it did not fall. Safe again they let it drop to the floor.

"Ok, so my rubbish bag idea sucked," Ron admitted. "What now?"

"We need to get to my dads lab."

"Yeah, good plan, good plan. Now suggest a one that doesn't involve us chasing the _scary bug eyed people_."

"Come on Ron. I need someone to watch my back."

Ron frowned in the dark vent, slightly contemplating. "Rufus," he said after a moment. She stuck her head out of his pocket to see what the boy wanted.

"Lead us through the vents. Follow the boots."

("_I'd _prefer_ a map_.")

Kim sighed. "Ron, Rufus can't understand you."

Proving Kim wrong, Rufus leapt forward down the dark vent, squeaking to guide the teens.

("_Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that_. _Alright kids. Follow my voice, stay on my tail and don't get separated_. Oy_, is this going to lead to so much _trouble….")

...

The man wore a blue lab coat securely fastened all the way up to the neck. He appeared shorter than he truly was, stooping and with his hands clasped behind his back. Still taller than most despite this. He marched down the white corridors of the space centre with the lady in green and black at his side. Ten of the bug eyed henchmen surrounded them in a protective bubble, plasma rifles ready. Every time the group approached an intersection or door two would jog forward and sweep it for threats. Lab technicians and professors yelped as bug eyed faces poked their noses through doors. The intruders ordered them all to get down on the ground and remain there.

Around one corner a GJ agent and a squad of MPs were waiting. The agent ambushed the first henchman checking out the intersection of corridors; tore the rifle out of his arms and clobbered him with it. To deal with the second man he lifted his left arm and pressed a button on his wrist device. Two taser darts launched. The hooks dug in deep. The henchman dropped his rifle and slumped on the floor as jolts of electricity incapacitated him.

MPs ran around the bend and raised an assortment of the semi-automatics and MP5 sub machine guns. The woman in green raised her hand. Green blasts of energy slammed into them, blasting them down the corridor, though walls, and out windows.

Protective henchmen fired at the agent. Their rifles blasted away at the corridor intersection with high heat plasma. The wall melted. The agent was forced back.

A nasty smirk formed across the lips of the man in blue.

...

Ramesh looked up from his computer screen. "Dr Possible, we have an exact match. There is no doubt the substance released in Prypiat was an early batch of RF."

James and Chen were eager to see the results. They stood over Ramesh and read the results on screen.

"16," James muttered under his breath.

"So it was us," Chen scowled. "The formula must have been stolen from our archive."

"No. 16 was Drew's last formula. Someone must have gotten to him and forced…."

No one ever learned Dr Possible's theory on what Drew was forced to do. The lab doors were thrown open. One of the Global Justice Agents entered. He held a mean looking assault rifle.

"Time to go doc, the phoney Ukrainians are back!"

"The who?" Chen asked

"Never mind, just take whatever notes you need and follow me. _Now_!"

Dr Possible and his assistants picked up every scrap of paper and every disk they could carry. The agent stepped back outside the lab.…

A green flash emanated from outside the lab. The agent was blasted back with enough force to rip the lab doors from their hinges. He crashed landed on a lab table on the other side of the room, smashing numerous pieces of scientific equipment. He was out cold.

Henchmen ran in and took up positions around the lab, pointing their plasma rifles at the scientists. Behind them entered the man in blue with his female accomplice in tow. She dragged in a battered second agent by his collar, hurling him across the lab floor to the feet of the scientists.

The entire series of events came as a shock to the RF team; the green flash, an agent being tossed across the room and armed men surrounding them. They huddled together in the centre of the room, dropping their notes.

It was nothing compared with the shock James received when he looked upon the man in blue. His blood went cold.

"_No_…."

The man in blue nodded toward his target.

"Take him."

Two henchmen stepped forward to obey. One grabbed Dr Possible. James tried to struggle so they beat him. A bag was thrown over his head.

The man in the blue coat did not even turn to watch as James was dragged out of the room.

...

Arriving police units skidded to a stop. The road outside the main entrance was littered with press workers, some of which were now attempting to crawl to safety. The police had grave fears about firing over innocent bystander's heads. The intruders did not. Plasma liberally spewed at the approaching police vehicles till the officers were forced to abandoned their melting vehicles and fall back.

Over their heads a helicopter arrived. A large twin rotor Chinook, painted in a black and red colour scheme. As the aircraft landed in front of the centre the police had a feeling these were not their reinforcements.

...

The man in blue removed a copied DVD from the lab computer. When he stepped aside his female accomplice pointed her index finger. Using her ability to project energy she blasted a dozen different finger sized holes through the hard drive.

Another henchman entered the room. His voice was heavily synthesized, he sounded like a computer.

"Dr Possible is secure doctor. All of the explosive charges are placed."

"Excellent. Time to fly."

The henchman's bug eyed goggles scanned over the other scientists and agents. Each was tied up and gagged. "What of the rest sir?"

"I have what I came for. They no longer matter."

The man in blue led his companion out of the lab with the henchmen forming the same protective bubble as before. As they exited the lab, man in blue ordered them to, "Set the timer. One minute countdown after we're airborne. Destroy it all."

...

Kim kicked open a grate and leapt out. She wasn't far from her father's lab now. She heard footsteps around the corner. She took cover behind a nearby pot plant and held up a hand for Ron to hold.

Exiting the air duct feet first he did not see the warning. His legs and rear were dangling from the ceiling duct when he heard a pair of synthesized voices.

"_What the_…?"

"_Alright. Bulls-eye."_

Ron gulped and addressed his mole rat, standing in front of his face. "Rufus. I think this is going to hurt."

("_And that seat was the only muscle I every saw you use_.")

He squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the intense burning sensation. The feared plasma bolt never came. Only synthesized grunts of pain.

When Ron finally fell out of the duct he landed on a henchman sprawled unconscious on the floor. A second was painfully crawling for his plasma rifle. Kim put him down with a pressure strike under his chin.

"_Alright_! My behind thanks all 14 masters of the martial arts Joe has sent you to study under."

Rufus jumped from the duct above. Ron caught the mole rat gently in his hands.

("_I'm glad you survived, I'm just beginning to like you. And you're my ride so_….")

"We don't have time to hide them. We're going to have to move fast…."

Kim stopped. Three more henchmen rounded the corner and trained their rifles on the teens. They were followed by the man in blue and his entourage.

...

Man in blue surveyed the carnage. The two point henchmen were out cold on the floor. The only suspects in sight were a duo of teenagers.

Ron tensed. Too many plasma weapons were pointed at him for his liking. Kim settled into a combat stance. Her eyes darted between threats.

The man in blue, the woman in green and several henchmen stood and watched in amusement.

"You had me worried for a second girl. I thought maybe there was a third agent we weren't aware of. _But_… you're just some _cheerleader_ sticking her nose in where it doesn't belong."

Man in blue smirked at the word '_cheerleader_,' referring to the uniform Kim was still wearing.

"Not that you don't have _spirit_ pumpkin," the women added. Unlike _his_ voice which was coarse and nasally, hers was soft, sensuous and seductive. Her tone suggested genuine respect. She kicked the one of the downed henchmen in the leg. The man did not respond.

"Who are you?" Kim demanded. Man in blue was tall, middle aged, and aside from the unusual lab coat he wore blue pants, black gloves and boots. The only skin visible was his pale face. His long black hair was tied back in a ponytail. Oversized browline framed glasses sat on his nose, making his eyes appear larger.

He had nothing on the appearance of his diminutive partner in crime. The woman at his side was far younger, slimmer and more agile. She had thick raven black hair which she allowed to extend down to her waist. Where the man's skin might have been called slightly pale this women appeared to have never seen daylight. She was ghoulishly pale with a slight green tone. She wore black lipstick in contrast with her skin tone and had playful, deep green eyes. The rest of her body from the neck down was clad in a green and black jumpsuit tight in all the right places and including gloves; one green, one black. Her fingers seemed abnormally long… and sharp.

Kim also sensed unparalleled alertness. She was obviously the most dangerous person in the room and she knew it.

"Oh, forgive me, where are my manners. I am _Dr Drakken _andI'm sure you'll hear of my work soon enough, or…," a sadistic grin spread across his face. "Maybe you won't. Tie them up and let's go."

Two henchmen deactivated their plasma weapons, letting them fold back up and holstering them on a pouch on their backs. They activated their energy staff devices and stepped forward.

Kim was ready. She leapt up, pushed off the wall and roundhouse kicked the first one in the head. He crumpled from the force of the blow.

The second henchman thrust one end of his staff. Kim ducked under the strike. He tried to swing each end alternatively at her; left right, left right, left right. She retreated from each swing backing further down the corridor and staying out of reach.

Kim took advantage of his pattern. Right, than left, than right….

She ducked under the staff, coming up inside his defence and jabbing him in the underarm. His grip on the staff loosened. While he was still reacting, bringing the staff back to strike her from behind, Kim took a step forward and kicked behind her at the back of his knee. The man toppled as one of his legs failed. He was caught by the shock of his own staff weapon.

"Oh yeah, that was _badical_!" Ron cried.

The woman looked impressed. She even softly clapped to the ire of her boss. Drakken was furious.

"_How_ did you do that?"

Kim flipped her hair behind her head. "I can do _anything_!"

Drakken reared back to his full height, completely thrown by this response. His features rapidly flicked from anger to puzzlement, to understanding and amazement, and finally the amusement.

"Oh yeah? Can you lick your own nose?"

It was Kim's turn to be puzzled. "… _no_!" she meekly admitted.

"I thought not._ Shego_..., we take her too."

Shego snorted. "You want me to fight a couple of kids?"

"Just do it please."

Shego shrugged and leapt. A single bound and she had closed all distance between Kim and herself. Kim had never seen anything like.

Shego struck, blow after blow after blow. It took all of Kim's skill to thwart each one, resorting to stepping back and dodging more often the blocking. Her opponent was so ferocious she never had an opportunity to counter attack. Finally a kick to the torso got through. Kim was knocked down.

She was quick to roll away, but not quick enough. The woman's sharp, gloved fingers lightly racked across her back. It wasn't a real strike. It was a message. Shego was saying '_it would be over right now if I wanted_.'

"_Kim_!"

Ron stood on the balls of his feet, fighting the urge to rush in and help. In a fight like this he would only get in the way. To make matters worse his shout reminded the henchmen of his presence. The nearest of them grabbed him by the collar.

"Come quietly and we won't have to tear something off your boyfriend," Shego nodded to Ron in the hands of a henchman.

"Not my boyfriend," Kim muttered. She flipped back up onto her feet. "He's my _best_ friend."

"_Oh_, ain't that sweet."

Kim stuck first this time. Her attacks were every bit as fast and furious Shego's had been, forcing the older woman back. Only none every got through and Shego never stopped smirking.

"Come on pumpkin. Show me you got."

Shego raised her knee and slammed it into Kim's midsection. She then kicked Kim away. Kim arose again, only now she panting and getting desperate. Kim ran at Shego, performing a sliding kick. Shego effortlessly somersaulted over. The strike never came close to landing.

But that was the point.

Now on the other side of Shego, Kim picked up the staff weapon of the henchman she had bested. She was familiar with how to handle such a weapon having trained using wooden staffs.

She attacked Shego again. Unlike the henchman she varied her strike angle, from up high, left and right, down below and everything in between so Shego would never know where the next blow would come from. She thrust the end, feinted, used kicks and manoeuvred Shego into the wall. It looked as if she had the upper hand yet the smirk still never left Shego's face.

"You're out of your league pumpkin."

Her hands burst into green flame. She effortless cut the staff in to with a swipe of her claws.

Shego laughed manically.

"Warm up's over."

The staff shorted out. It was still useful as a blunt object. Kim tried to swing each of them at Shego. They were each cut up into rods of metal no bigger than a knuckle bone. Kim was on the defensive once more, this time dodging flaming hands.

"Flaming claws, _no fair_!"

Ron was highly concerned about how things were going for Kim, although the flaming claws did give him something of an idea. He spied a red switch labelled 'Fire' not too far down the corridor, as well as a fire extinguisher. All he had to do was escape the grasp of the henchman.

"Ok Rufus, you're up."

...

Drakken watched the fight between Shego and the young cheerleader with amusement. He was impressed with the cheerleader's skills. He couldn't help chuckling when she picked up the staff and put Shego on the defensive. Then Shego sliced it to bits, laughing as she did. She was clearly having fun.

The henchman holding the boy started yelling and going crazy. "Oh man! Oh man, there's something crawling up my leg. Oww, _damn_….! Get it out!" He swung his plasma rifle wildly while he clawed at his pants, greatly concerning Drakken and his men while capturing their attention.

Ron made a dash for the fire extinguisher. Henchmen raised their weapons and fired afew shoots, melting the wall behind him. One blast came a little too close to the furiously struggling women. In anger, Shego loosed a blast of her own energy. The offending henchman was slammed against a wall. The rest halted fire.

Ron pulled the fire alarm leaver causing the sprinkler system to activate. Then he ripped the extinguisher from the wall. Shego turned her attention on him as he lifted the nozzle and squeezed the trigger, dousing her with… nothing.

"Oh man, how does this thing work?"

Shego snorted and raised a claw to Ron. As she lunged Kim pushed her from behind while Ron dropped. Shego went too far, tripping over Ron and embedding her claw so deeply in the wall she whacking her forehead against it.

Kim snatched the extinguisher from Ron, "You pull the pin," and hurled it at Drakken before grabbing Ron and attempting to run away. One of the henchmen shot the pressurised canister in mid-air. It exploded with tremendous force. The corridor filled with steam from the interaction of heated plasma, the spraying water and the foam inside the canister.

Drakken yelped and covered his face with his black gloved hands. Horrifying howls of pain emanated through his gloves.

As Kim dragged Ron her friend resisted.

"_Rufus_!"

Rufus exited the pants of the henchman she had been tormenting dashed after the teens. Ron scooped her up and fled with Kim.

Shego removed herself from the wall by simply tearing it apart down. She watched the teens run but did not pursue, instead shaking her head and chuckling to herself.

A henchman dropped to his knees and lined up the teens. Two figures could just be made out through the steam. He had them.

His finger squeezed the trigger.

A black gloved hand pushed the barrel downward.

Plasma melted the floor behind the retreating teen's feet.

The henchman looked up at his employer, who was no longer holding his face.

"_Leave her_!"

The henchman did as told, instead collapsing his weapon and helping one of his battered confederates. Drakken raised a gloved hand and removed a searing hot piece of shrapnel from underneath his left eye. It left a long, deep gash. His glasses were shattered so he removed them. Blood and water ran down his face. He watched the teen duo turn a corner and disappear from view.

"Reset the timer on the charges. Give them fifteen minutes."

"_Sir_?"

Drakken swiftly directly fixed his minion with a ferocious glower. He would not be questioned.

"Yes doctor."

Drakken called after the teens.

"_Fifteen minutes before I blow this building sky high_. _This is not over_… _Kim Possible_!"

Around the corner and still running, Ron had to ask.

"How does he know your name?"

...

Once they were sure there was no pursuit Kim led Ron to her father's lab. Inside were dozens of lab assistants gagged and bound by their feet and hands. They were shivering from the cold rain from the sprinkler system. Kim pulled the masking tape off the mouth of one she recognised

"Dr Chen, what happened? Where's my dad?"

"I'm sorry Kim, that man took you dad. He's going to blow up this building."

Kim was crushed. Pain crossed over her features. She cleared her head with a quick shake. These people needed her help.

"Alright. I've got to get you out of here."

She looked at the plastic binders holding his hands.

"Do you have a knife or some scissors?"

"Try the office."

Another assistant gave a muffled yell through his gag. Ron took off the tape. "In my right pocket, on my car keys. I have a small pocket knife."

"Alright."

Ron reached for the keys.

"In my _right _pocket."

"Oh. Yeah, sorry, I just… yeah."

...

The fire alarm triggered panic. Soggy space centre workers abandoned their hiding places and exited the building with all haste, some of them helping injured MPs they found in the corridors.

Drakken and his people were among those who swiftly left the building, carrying those four henchmen knocked senseless by Kim Possible. Drakken brushed his coat down, trying to remove some of the water before boarding the Chinook. Shego wrung out her hair, looking more annoyed than he did. Those henchmen holding the front gate retreated to the Chinook as well. It took off, flying low and away from the centre.

...

As Ron cut more bonds he had more people to help him; Ramesh had a pair of wire cutters in his desk draw, Chen found some scissors in the office which he passed to Kim, then he and others picked up a sharp pieces of broken glass.

Ron cut the binders from two large men in dull blue uniforms. They were both unconscious.

"What happened to these two?"

"The agents? Drugged."

"So we have to… carry them?"

The two men were massive. The teens and scientists were small.

"We have to," Kim said. "Drakken's going to blow up the whole building and we're running out of time."

Ron quickly scanned the room. "I've got it!"

...

Together the group of scientists pushed the unconscious agents along on wheeled office chairs. The real trouble was getting them down the fire escape.

"Easy," Ron called. "Easy. Ea, _oh-uh_…."

Their grip on the man failed. He rolled down a flight of small flight of stairs and fell off the fire escape.

"A_h_…. _That's one_!" he called back up to Kim.

...

It took all of them working together to drag the two burly agents across the grass. A couple of police officers ran up and aided the group. Under ten seconds later the first charge went off. They all threw themselves to the ground.

The ground shock. Glass blew outward. Flaming tongues flicked from windows.

The charges did not go off at once. It was a sequence lasting almost a minute. When it was over the lab building groaned… and half of the building collapsed in on itself.


	9. Ch 8: Wade

Author's Note: Essay season over. Better do something to keep the fans attention before exam season.

The most difficult thing isn't coming up with material. It's cutting it all down. The exchanges between Kim & Director, Du & Director, Kim & Wade, could have gone on forever. Would have if Palenn hadn't been on my case about keeping things fast paced. I darn near went _insane_ trying to cut down the length and have it still make sense.

**

* * *

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Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible™ or any character, location or event from that said show. Or the video game of the same name.

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Ch 8: Wade

Kim burst into her home with Ron close behind.

"_Moooom_!"

"_In here Kimmie_."

Her answering voice came from the living room. Kim rushed in….

And abruptly halted. Ron ran into her.

Standing in the Possible family living room were two more Global Justice agents, easily recognisable in their dull blue uniforms, as well as Anne Possible. The three of them stood as Kim and Ron entered the room.

The younger of the two agents, appearing to be in his early twenties at most, had black hair and a serious expression fixed across his face. He accompanied a much older woman; taller, wavy brown hair, with an eye patch over her right eye. She had a far more kindly presence. Each of them was trim and well exercised.

"Miss Possible," the woman stepped forward and held out a hand, "I am Dr Betty Director of _Global Justice Initiative_. This is Agent William Du."

"Where's my dad?" Kim immediately demanded, not taking Director's outstretched hand.

Director looked downcast and withdrew her hand. "We would like to talk to you and your mother about events that transpired at the Middleton Space Centre less than an hour ago. Could you come in and sit down?"

She directed Kim and then Ron to the couch beside Anne Possible. Anne was very tense. She did not know what this was about and she looked to Kim for answers. Kim had none to give.

Dr Director sat down opposite them. Agent Du off to the side.

"First, we were about to fill your mother in, about your father's situation."

"I'm sorry Mrs Possible. Miss Possible. You're husband is missing. We believe he has been kidnapped."

Anne gasped and clutched Kim. Kim remained silent. She already knew. Kim looked worriedly to Ron. Ron looked worriedly to Kim.

Director continued. "The Middleton Space Centre was attacked by an unknown, organised paramilitary group. As Dr Possible was the _only_ scientist known to have been abducted we have to assume he was the target. "

Anne's arms around Kim got a little tighter.

"Why? But he… he's in the Ukraine. How could they have taken him from the Space Centre if he's in the Ukraine?"

"I'm afraid that he wasn't. The disaster in Prypiat was linked to another high priority case we are currently working on. Circumstantial evidence suggested your husband's work in the Ukraine was sabotaged so I had him transferred in secret back to the space centre and placed him under guard. He was attempting to prove the toxic substance released in Prypiat was _not_ his formula. In fact I was on my way to speak with your husband personally when news of the attack reached me."

"_Sabotage_…?" Anne mouthed the word. "Why…? Who would do such a thing?"

"We're trying to piece that together now." Her attention shifted to Kim. "Miss Possible, I understand you were present at the space centre during the attack. Is that correct?"

Anne fixed Kim with a puzzled look. Kim avoided her gaze.

"We were there to see dad." she explained, more to her mother than to Dr Director. "The paper said he…." She paused, remembering the awful headline. "It said he was back."

"I know what the media has been saying and apart from not having the full story they seem disturbingly aware of your father's movements. We're attempting to uncover their source. I promise you when this is over the world will know truth about your father's heroism. Speaking of which, Miss Possible, several eyewitnesses claim you and an unknown companion…."

Ron muttered. "_Oh man_."

"… saved the lives of over a dozen scientists tied up in the centre, as well as two of my agents. You have my thanks."

She winked at Ron. "_Both_ of you."

"_Kimmie_…!" Anne exclaimed. Her daughter blushed in her arms, continuing to look away.

"Someone has organised all of these events; the sabotage in Prypiat, the attack on the space centre, even the concentrated smear campaign against your father. Thanks to your bravery we now have witnesses who have seen the face of this mastermind."

"Dr Drakken," Kim said. There was an undercurrent of anger in her statement. Both Dr Director and Agent Du recoiled in surprise.

"You encountered the abductors?" Director asked urgently.

"You overheard his name?" Du asked with suspicion, speaking for the first time.

"_Encountered_?!" Ron exclaimed. "They tried to use my rear for target practice! Kim fought them off."

"You _fought_ them?" Du repeated the assertion. "A _cheerleader _against a heavily armed paramilitary force?"

Anne paled. Kim cringed. She had intended to skirt past details concerning skirmish in the space centre. "We mostly ran and hid," she attempted to cut Ron off. He didn't get the message.

"Yep," Ron beamed with pride, "she beat them down so bad Drakken sent the lady with the glow-y hands."

Director's eye widened. Her voice was a whisper. "Shego? You _fought _Shego?"

Agent Du stood. "Not possible."

"_Duh_. _Yes_ Possible, who else? Check out the scratches on her back."

Anne was quick follow Ron's advice. Her arms unwrapped from around Kim and motioned her to sit forward on the couch. Kim cringed again when at her mother's sharp gasp.

"May I?" Director leaned forward over Anne. Kim sighed and twisted to give them a better view. Her uniform was shredded and four claw marks ran across her back.

"_Oh_ honey, what were you _thinking_?"

"I was _thinking_ I had to save Ron…."

"No way," Agent Du maintained. "Shego leaves claw marks in _steel_. No child could stand up to her; Miss Possible would have been sliced to pieces."

Kim frowned at being called a child.

"I'm not defenceless you know. I could throw your…."

"Enough please _Agent Du_," Dr Director requested sternly, silencing Kim as well. The young man slowly sat down again. Kim drew in a deep breath and calmly explained.

"Her hands weren't glowing when she struck me. She was only toying I think. We only escaped because she caught her arm in the wall momentarily. Punched right through it. Then we ran. They didn't bother pursuing. They just… let us go."

"So if I understand correctly," Du summarised, "after all the steps taken to protect their identity the abductors just…," he threw his arms in the air, "let you go? _After_ you defeated a number of them and tangled with the most dangerous fugitive alive?"

He clearly did not believe a word of it and his attitude was starting to wear on Kim.

"They didn't want us. I'm not sure they even knew who we were. Like Ron said, we were just target practice."

Ron looked to Kim. He was puzzled by her last statement. Kim looked back at him, daring him challenge her. He didn't.

Director looked warily between them. "Can you tell us anything else about this Drakken?"

"He had big glasses and a ponytail. Wore blue…."

"He said something about we will, '_hear of his work soon enough_," Ron voiced. His statement concerned Director.

Kim lifted her gaze to meet Directors eye. "Who is he?"

"We ask…."

Director silenced Agent Du with a hard stare. "We don't know."

"Then tell me about Shego."

"Shego," Director reluctantly expanded on the topic, "is a fugitive from Global Justice and a very dangerous individual. As you witnessed she has superhuman abilities and great skill in the martial arts. We don't know what her, or her employers, interest is in your father's research."

"Did you track down his helicopter?"

"No. We lost our track on the helicopter in the Mt Middleton Ranges."

"Then you're looking in the wrong place."

Kim removed her hand from her mothers, got up and headed for the stairs to her room.

"_Kim_?" Anne called after her.

"Miss Possible, we need to take a full statement from you." Agent Du

Ron sat up.

"Will you need to take one from me?"

Du fixed him with an emotionless stare. "… No."

"What do you plan to do, Miss Possible?" Director asked after Kim

"I'm going to find my dad."

...

A pair of guards opened and closed the SUV doors for Dr Director and Agent Du. In the privacy of the vehicle Director began assembling the pieces.

"The field testing of a chemical designed to absorb radiation goes horribly wrong two weeks after a nuclear warhead is stolen from under Gemini's nose. Then, its brilliant inventor is abducted. Shego is present during all three incidents."

Agent Du contemplated these known facts. "We still have no idea about motive. No idea about the target. They could strike anywhere, anytime." Director nodded painful agreement with his assessment.

"I'm still convinced this is a WE plot," Du raised his hands when Director started to object, "a splinter faction maybe. It's their brazen style. They would know how to defeat the security systems of the Iran facility. I think we should focus our resources in that direction. We look for large scale defections or power plays in the past year."

"That's a good place to start Will; though I'm convinced James Possible and his RF-78 is the key. There was no apparent reason for '_Drakken'_ to kidnap the doctor. It was a reckless move in an otherwise flawless game. If we can understand where they fit in to all this we will have our answers."

"Will. I want you organise protection for the Possibles. Watch them like a hawk."

Agent Du was flabbergasted. "There's a rogue with a nuclear warhead to track down and you assign me a baby-sitting job?"

"There's still a chance this Drakken could target the family, if only out of spite for what interfering with his operation. I want you and your team in position to pounce if they do."

"You don't seriously believe one girl could take on Shego do you?"

"How many villainesses with glowing hands could she have been describing?" Director argued. "Even if Shego were toying Miss Possible exhibited tremendous skill and resourcefulness to survive."

A wiry smirk formed across Directors lips. "I think in future I'd like to keep my eye on Miss Possible. I wonder what she has in mind for her next move."

...

Kim threw herself onto her bed and clutched her Panderoo to her chest. The aging stuffed toy was her greatest comfort when she was blue. Now more than ever she needed its reassuring hug.

Ron followed soon over, gently opening the door and flopping down on the end of her bed.

"They're gone."

Kim didn't respond. She sat up, clutching her knees and squeezing Panderoo a little tighter.

"You didn't tell them Drakken ordered Shego to take you too. Or that he knew your name."

Kim rocked for a moment before finding the words to describe what she was thinking.

"He said, '_Can I lick my own nose_?"

"_Huh_?"

"I said, "_I can do anything_," and he said, '_Can I lick my own nose_?' I can't get it out of my head."

Kim lifted her gaze. Her eyes were watering. "I have to find my Dad."

Ron climbed up the bed and wrapped his arms around her. "I'll help you."

Clinging to her friend it was some time before Kim asked, "What do we do know?"

"I have a friend," Ron stated and Kim could feel him tense. She sensed this friend of Ron's was no friend at all. "They call him Wade. He owes me a favour and he _may_ be able to help us."

...

Ron led Kim to a house in the next suburb. It was much like her own family home only with a single story and a smaller lawn and garage. The teens parked their bikes outside the gate. The evening was getting cooler. Kim had changed out of her uniform and slipped on a pink sweater.

Before entering the gate Ron stopped Kim, speaking in a very serious tone.

"He is not going to be happy that I led you here. Better let me do the talking, ok?"

Kim nodded uncertainly.

"The man likes his privacy. He _does not_ like visitors. He _does not_ want anyone to know he's here. You _can… never… tell anyone_!"

"Alright," Kim agreed.

"I'm serious."

"_Alright_! So how come he owes you a favour if you've never met him?"

Ron winched. "It's complicated."

He pushed open the gate and walked onto the property.

"What's complicated?" Kim persisted.

"It's… like your website. People ask you for help…, Wade asks for my help. Usually collecting mail from a post office box or mowing the lawns, delivering junk food."

"_Why_ have I never heard of this?"

Ron hesitated. "There were more unusual requests," he simply stated. "For a start _everything_ had to be super secret. Picking up packages from Lowerton, specialised equipment, nothing I understood. Never from the same place twice."

That caught Kim's attention in a negative way. "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with you hanging out with this person Ron."

Ron downplayed her worries. "It was always mostly harmless. Scouting a comic convention, escort his ten year old nephew to the dentist, let him borrow the family photo album, my parent's driver's licences…."

Ron stopped at the door. He did not knock. He just breathed. He seemed incredibly nervous.

"Aren't you going to knock?"

"He knows we're here. He can see us," Ron shrugged uncomfortably. "He's kinda' cautious"

Kim shifted uncomfortably at the thought. She waited as the seconds ticked by. Finally….

"I _TOLD_ YOU RONALD. OUR BUSINESS ARRANGEMENT IS VOID SHOULD YOU EVER REVEAL YOUR CONNECTION TO ME TO ANOTHER LIVING SOUL."

Speakers, subtly placed in pot plants and ordainments, boomed the voice from all sides. It was deep and menacing, modelled off the voice of James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader. The light bulb above the porch transformed into an angry eye. It dropped down on a mechanical arm to glare at Ron.

"I needed to tell her. My request is not for me, it is for her."

Momentary silence, then…, "SPEAK."

"I want you to find her father," Ron desperately interjected. "Dr…."

"… JAMES TIMOTHY POSSIBLE," the voice finished his sentence. The mechanical eye shifted its focus to Kim, looking her up and down. "YES. I RECOGNISED YOUR FRIEND."

"He was kidnapped, today, at the Middleton Space Centre. Global Justice…."

"_**GLOBAL JUSTICE!**__" _the voice shouted, "LIKELY WATCHES YOU EVEN NOW YOU _FOOL_!" The mechanical eye turned its attention back to Ron. By sliding the shutter forward a millimetre and increasing the coloured light Wade managed to portray anger with his spy camera.

"YOU HAVE BROUGHT _RUIN_ DOWN UPON ME!"

Kim interjected, "And just what activities would you be involved…?"

"KIMBERLY ANNE POSSIBLE. DAUGHTER OF JAMES AND ANNE, SISTER OF JAMES AND TIMOTHY. KNOWN ASSOCIATE OF RONALD DEAN STOPPABLE."

"MASTER OF MULTIPLE MARTIAL ARTS. RECENTLY MADE HIGH SCHOOL CHEERLEADER. HIRES HERSELF OUT FOR SMALL JOBS VIA WEBSITE kimpossible .com…. AND A COLLECTOR OF PLUSH CUDDLE BUDDY DOLLS. MANY OF MY STOCK PHOTOS FEATURE A CERTAIN 'PANDEROO'."

Kim was almost speechless with outraged. "_You_…! You have _photos_ of me?!"

"I TAKE NOTE OF RONALD'S FRIENDS AS A SECURITY PRECAUTION. YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE COME HERE KIM POSSIBLE. YOU MAY THINK YOU ARE '_ALL THAT,_' BUT IN THE REAL WORLD YOU ARE SIMPLY ANOTHER LITTLE GIRL. RUN ALONG LITTLE GIRL. I DO NOT HAVE WHAT YOU SEEK."  
It had been a long day; the news, her father, Drakken and Director. Kim was in no mood to be patient with this voice she was fast coming to believe belonged to a perverted individual.

"You slimy, sick _demented_…."

Her words and tone alarmed Ron. He jumped in to head off an unfortunate confrontation. "No, no. She doesn't mean it. _Please_!" he pleaded with Wade.

"I'm leaving," Kim declared over Ron. She took a step toward the gate before adding, "And you know what's more, I'm calling the cops!"

"_Whoa_ no! _No, no, no_. No cops!"

Ron leapt after her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders to physically restrain her.

Kim had to restrain herself from serious hurting him. Her combat reflexes and flayed nerves almost led her to lash out. Instead she broke his hold in a more gently fashion, trying not to injure her friend. She turned to face him.

"You don't understand KP. Wade is the '_ghost_' in the global network," he put extra, extra emphasis on the word ghost. "No one is even sure if he even exists, or if he's an entire syndicate of hackers. There are people who swear he isn't even human at all, that he's an artificial intelligence.

"There are stories passed around the arcade and comic book store; that Wade was behind the Corrupted Blood Plague on WoW, Wade masterminded the cyber warfare assault against Estonia. That _Betty Director_, the _head_ of Global Justice;they say Wade posted excerpts from her personal diary over the web.

"Wade can find your dad. If anyone can find your dad, Wade can find your dad."

Ron's impassioned speech touched Kim. She had her doubts. If everything Ron credited to Wade was true it was even more reason to turn him over to the authorities. The sitch worked in reverse too, if Wade's notoriety was well deserved the chances he could locate her father were even greater. There was also the question of what happened to Ron if Wade were discovered.

The front door to the house creaked open.

She stood on the path, two choices before her. Do the right thing and leave. Pass through the door and maybe find her father. Ron eyes silently imploring. Pleading with her.

Kim walked through the door.

The living room area was a mess. Stacked Pizza boxes lined the walls. Candy bar wrappers and junk food bags littered the floor. They formed a circular ocean around a single large reclining chair in front of a wall sized television set. On the seat sat a custom made video game controller.

("_Holy Crap! Something lives here! I'll never complain about your room again_…_ except maybe when you forget to wash your socks_._")_

"I APOLOGISE FOR THE MESS. VISITORS ARE AN UNUSUAL OCCURANCE. THERE IS A COUCH IN THE BACK. IF YOU REQUIRE A REFRESHMENT FELL FREE TO TAKE ANYTHING FROM THE FRIDGE. I SHALL BE WITH YOU PRESENTLY."

"I don't see a couch," Kim remarked.

Ron set Rufus down on a pizza box stack. The rodent scampered over them, destabilizing the piles and accidentally causing a collapse. Part of the couch was revealed to be buried underneath.

Exclaiming, "_Little buddy_!" Ron dug through the boxes, trying to recover Rufus. His furless companion popped his head out of one, half covered in melted cheese.

("_Argh it's got me! Save_ _yourself. The yellow blob will devourer all_!")

Shuddering, Kim tried the kitchen. The fridge offered little more than soft drinks and fried chicken. See helped herself to a glass of water instead.

Stepping back into the living room Kim glanced at the picture frames above the fireplace. She almost choked on the water. She had to double back and examine the photos again.

"Ron, this guy has photos of your family all over the place."

Springing up from the couch with Rufus in hand, Ron took a look at the photos.

"Hey! That's Grandma! And that's when dad won Actuary of the Year."

He frowned.

"I don't remember Wade's nephew sitting at our table."

Yet still, clearly in the photo a young man sat with his family at the table. In fact he was in the majority of the Stoppable family photos spread around the room. He was young, a tweenager or close to it. Somewhere in the age group of 8 to 11. He was African American, dark skin and black hair. He also looked like his appetite for junk food matched his uncles. This kid would not be running a marathon anytime soon.

"Sure I was there Ron. How could you forget?"

The boy in the photos strode in through the archway to the hallway. He stood relaxed with one hand in his pocket, another holding a soft drink cup from a fast food eatery. Kim and Ron were startled by his sudden appearance.

"_Dad_ was so excited. He kept looking over his speech cues and panicked when he couldn't find his keys. _Mom_ dismissed our wardrobes and took the whole family out to purchase new clothes for big occasion. _Ugh_, you remember how annoying that was, don't you Ron? The way _Mom_ made us model each outfit for her."

("_I think all this junk food has seriously damaged your brain_."_)_

"Dude, we just wore our Sunday best, Mom drove and _those are my parents_!"

The boy didn't react to Ron's outburst. He merely shrugged. He pitied Ron with a lopsided smile.

"They're my parents too, _bro_. That's my adoption certificate right on the wall right there."

Kim, Ron and Rufus, scampered to the framed document the young man was pointing to.

("_Damn_.")

"_Wade Stoppable_…," Ron read aloud. "My parents are going to kill me."

...

Wade explained his actions while the three humans cleaned up the room. After she learned Wade lived alone Kim stood firm on this point. No ten year old boy in her neighbourhood was going to live in his own squalor. The boys were given the task of clearing the living room of pizza boxes and other food wrappings. Kim insisted on changing his diet and proceeded to throw out the less healthy contents of Wade's fridge. When she was done there was not even enough food left to feed Rufus, (if she would have even touched what was there that is).

Kim walked out of the kitchen. She dragged two large, overfilled rubbish bags behind her, the contents of the fridge. "You two take these to the curb. Wade, when you're done I want to know what you're doing living on your own. Then tomorrow I will take you to the supermarket for some real food. I've already called Margaret from Meals on Wheels for a favour so that will tide us over for tonight."

Wade was incredibly annoyed about being bossed around in his own bachelor pad. Out of Kim's hearing range he cursed, "Why in God's name did I even let her in the house?"

"Hey. Best babysitter in the neighbourhood," Ron commented with pride.

"_Shut up_! This is your fault."

"_Wade_," Kim called out, "tonight I want you to pick up your clothes and do some washing!"

"_Arrgh_…."

...

Wade stared suspiciously at a French fried sized carrot stick. Finally he rolled his eyes and bit it in half. "The orphanage didn't foster my interest in computing. They were still using _Microsoft_! So I decided to strike out on my own. Unfortunately I wasn't as prepared for the real world as I thought."

"My first attempt at independence ended when I was caught using a… 'borrowed' credit card and a homemade decoder to steal money from an ATM. Second time I was recognised from the lost child photos while staying at a YMCA. Time after that, the apartment next to the one I was renting happen to be raided. The police suspected it was being used as a methanphetomine lab. When they knocked on my door…, well I guess an eight year old renting an apartment was an even greater surprise."

"I realised if I was going to live independently I needed a proper game plan; money, a new identity, and… a family."

"Ron's family?" Kim questioned.

"The Stoppables came into the picture much later, after I had chosen Middleton as my destination. I needed a local family, stable with a child or children of their own, my age or older. A loving, tight knit family the adoption agency would be comfortable handing me over too. Not high profile. And it had to be people others would believe would adopt a child in need. The Stoppables fit my search parameters perfectly."

Wade smiled wistfully. "In a way you should be proud I choose you Ron. Your family is… you're very lucky."

Ron did not know what to say. He looked to Kim for a hint, though settled on a quiet, "Thanks dude." He reached out and squeezed the ten year olds shoulder.

"Yeah, well…," Wade trailed off.

"How did you pull it off?" Kim asked.

"Oh? _Umm_…, well it took nearly a year for me to set everything up, saving up money working at a computing store after school. Creating multiple new identities for myself online, including I might add the social worker assigned to _Wade Stoppable_."

Maybe his game was up, but Wade still enjoyed elaborating on his own cunning and genius. It had been a very long time since he had been able to show off in person. He performed a mini bow.

("_Well he's pleased with himself_"), Rufus commented. Ron had washed the cheesy blob off her and now allowed her to take her pick of vegetables from his plate.

"Actually I choose one who was on the verge of retirement. She already had a record so it would be even more convincing. Just had to keep filing those reports. Not that there weren't some hairy moments like a home visit by another social worker."

Wade climbed to his feet and clapped his hands. "_Voila_."

"_Hwoa_!" Ron yelped. In the centre of the living room his parents appeared in a burst of light.

"_Holograms_!" Kim exclaimed.

"Yep," Wade confirmed. He claimed again and the figures of light disappeared.

...

Wade allowed Kim and Ron into his darkened master bedroom/computer room. It was the only room he had kept meticulously clean. He had more screens in this one room than Kim or Ron did in their entire households. The server itself took up a quarter of the room.

"_Wow_! That's what I'm talking about KP! The _Wade! _The _legend_! Blackmailing mega-corporations, confounding the FBI. No one is safe from the _ghost _in the network."

"Ron," Wade chided, "most of the rumours about me are _completely_ untrue."

"Untrue like a fox! _Huh_? _Huh_?" He lifted his hand for a high five.

"No Ron. Untrue like untrue. I've spent most of the past year doing college computer sciences via correspondence and performing consultancy work on net security for some major corporations, under a false identity of course."

Ron's excitement level dropped. "So you didn't attack Estonia?"

("_Put your arm down boy_.") Rufus advised, referring to Ron's still hanging five.

Wade booted up his system. "I did my best to defend the Estonia. Sadly I'm no match for millions of remotely controlled computers flooding the country with spam. The attack was too well planned; it was trying to hold back Hurricane Katrina. All I could do was spike a couple of the perpetrators and offer my services as a consultant to Estonia's new E-military."

"And Dr Directors diary?" Kim queried, just a _little_ curious.

"Well…." The blue glow of computer screen revealed Wades smirk.

"Alright, I'm no angel. I had to do deals with some especially unsavoury characters to get my hands on most of this equipment. I like to know what politicians and major-companies are up to, I've made a few grand insider-trading and I have earned a reputation for underhanded stunts, though my targets have generally deserved it."

"I just bet they did," Kim challenged his justification. "Just like '_malicious_' Ron here deserved to be pulled into your scam and have his family hijacked."

She managed emulate her own mothers scolding tone. (Who would have thought that would one day come in handy?) Wade simmered under her gaze until she finally asked, "... so what was in the diary?"

"I posted a few _private_ opinions on world leaders, a schoolgirl crush on a home town, smooth talking Sheriff. Big mistake though; that woman is _relentless_. She's the reason I keep such a low profile, on and offline."

He chuckled at the memory a while before growing serious, guilty even. "I stopped reading when I reached the earlier entries…. Her best friend. Her husband and daughter…. It grew too personal. I purged it from my system."

Kim knew to let the matter drop. Curiosity aside, if was painful enough that Wade let it drop then maybe it was best kept private. After all, she would die if anyone ever read….

"Have you read my diary?"

"What happened to her family and best friend?" Ron asked, confused.

"Let's move on," Wade suggested, swivelling on his computer chair to face the computer screen, and _not_ Kim. His fingers typed furiously. Window after window opened on numerous screens around the room. "If we want to find Dr Drakken we need collaborating information. Once we build up a larger picture on the events surrounding your father's abduction we might be able to find a clue. Dr Director had never heard of Drakken so I doubt he exists in GJ's criminal database. They _were_ familiar the second assailant, _Shego_, so I can start my search there."

Wade had a mouse, though he did not bother using it. Instead he simply pointed with his finger and dragged. Window after window was banished from the primary screen, only to be replaced by more and more once Wade began typing again.

"We also need to know everything we can about your father's RF-78 project. Its purpose, potential military uses, those involved in production. Personally, I also want to know who leaked your father's movements to the media. It may be important, it may not be."

Wade swilled his chair back around to face Kim and Ron.

"Anything else I should look into?"

Kim thought back over her confrontation with Dr Drakken. "He knew my name."

"Not surprising, I knew your name. Drakken has probably had your family under surveillance for months now, even years."

"He also let us go. He tried to capture me, and then let us go."

Wade shrugged. "He may have wanted you as leverage to use against your father, than figured it wasn't worth the hassle. Super villains like to leave witnesses to their crimes; over wise another one might take the credit. I know it's messed up."

"It wasn't like that." Kim argued strongly. "This was different."

"It just feels different because it was you and not someone else."

Ron offered a search parameter. "How about…, freaky assassin women had _glowing hands_!"

"Yeah. We could use that."

"They were looking into a related case," Kim voiced.

Wade and Ron waited while she thought back.

"When Mom said Dad was in the Ukraine, Director said she had Dad moved to the Space Centre. He was working on a case related to what happened in the Ukraine."

"I'm on it," and Wade resumed typing like a madman. It was wonder his keyboard could take it. Even Clark Kent could not have matched his WPM count (words per minute).

"I have to be honest with you. It may be days, even months before I find a lead. I may never find anything."

"I understand," Kim replied solemnly.

Wades chair shot out from the desk. He had pushed himself toward a work desk in the corner. Under a work light and magnifying equipment was a device. It looked like an early game boy with its large screen, buttons and relatively thick casing.

He picked it up and passed it to Kim, along with an instruction booklet. "Take this. I can contact you anywhere with this and you can contact me. I know it looks a little clunky but trust me, this baby beats any cell phone hands down."

"What is it?"

"How about… the Kimmunicator?"

Kim smirked at the name. "Please and thank you."

Ron perked up. He enjoyed presents. "Do I get one?"

"That _was_ your one," Wade scolded. "Teach you to lead your '_mother_' to my command centre."

He added silently to Kim, "You may notice most of the instructions are simple coloured pictures."

Outside, on the doorstep to Wade's home, Kim looked up at the porch light bulb.

"When this is all over… you and me are going to have a serious talk young man."

"WON'T I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT?"


	10. Ch 9: Lollipops Lost

Author's Note: Explosive chapter for you today. Time for the grand unveiling! I even dropped a small hint to the events surrounding a prequel story, _**Shego**_, which I hope to have the opportunity to write for you in future.

You know the greatest reward from writing is? It's the idea that if I'm doing my part right than dozens of people across the word has the same exciting mental picture as I do up here my mind. They just get it, you know? And they enjoy it….

_Stuff it_: **REVIEW ME!** **I **_**know**_** there are eighty or so people out there reading this! I monitor the story stats!**

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Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible™ or any character, location or event from that said show. Or the video game of the same name.

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Ch 9: Lollipops Lost

In contrast to her dramatic entrance in the afternoon, Kim entered her home quietly with Ron in tow and gently closed the door behind them. She called tentatively, "Mom?"

Reflecting the hushed mood of the household she barely let her soft voice rise above a whisper. Anne was in the living room, standing next to the fireplace and holding her wedding photo not far from her face. Either by Kim's cautiously quiet entrance or her because she was too lost in her own thoughts Anne was not aware of the teen's presence until Kim called again.

"Mom?"

"Mrs Dr P?" Ron added.

Anne turned.

"Kimmie?"

Anne replaced the photo frame before hugging her daughter.

"Kimmie. I'm glad your home. You left so suddenly, I didn't know what to think."

"I called…."

"Saying you're searching for your father and don't bother cooking tea for the two of you does _not_ set my mind at ease young lady." She fixed a wiry frown on Kim, then Ron, and back to Kim. Her voice was softer than usual but still packed with motherly authority. Shaken though she was Anne Possible was a strong woman with a responsibility to her children. She would cry when her husband was back safely in her arms.

"We left you some pizza just in case. I didn't really feel like cooking tonight. The boys know. I sat down with them when they got home and told them everything. They're making a scanner to look for him. I think it's meant to home in on his aftershave."

"I bet they could do it too," Kim offered. "Anything's possible for a Possible"

James Possible's favourite saying and his twin boys determination were enough to bring a smile to the two Possible women. The tension that had been building throughout this ever worsening day crumbled, if only for a little while.

"I _suppose_ we should grab a blanket and some hot chocolate and _you_ can tell all me about your heroics at the space centre. It's not every the head of _Global Justice_ visits to thank you for saving the life of two of her agents."

"_Ugh_, _Mom_! Do I have to?" Kim moaned.

"You're dreaming if you think you're getting out of this; now park your keyster on that couch. Ron, you're parents heard about the space centre attack and they're very worried about you. I want you to give them a call right now. And then, if you're staying, you can make a start on those hot chocolates."

"_Umm_…. Well, I…. I understand if you would prefer that I…."

"Stay…." Kim asked.

"Yeah. Yeah… alright."

...

Ron woke up on the Possible's couch, head aching from using the armrest as a pillow. He hadn't bothered folding it out when the Possible's had gone to bed, he just set the heat pump to a comfortable temperature, covered himself with the blanket and nodded off in an instant.

As he stretched and rubbed his aching neck he figured he was probably the first one up. He was hungry so he headed for their kitchen. He slept over often enough in his youth that he knew his way around and he remembered the mention of leftover pizza from the previous night….

After microwaving his prize, Ron sat down at the breakfast table and put his feet up. While not enough to wake up the Possible's, the noise he was making was enough to attract the attention of Rufus. She uncurled from her spot next to the couch, rapped up in Ron's discarded hockey sweater, and went to investigate.

"(_Is that all you humans eat?)" _she complained once she had climbed up onto the breakfast table, "(_Gobs of sticky yellow paste spread over… everything_?)"

"Here boy," Ron broke off the tip of his pizza. The mole rat was hesitant.

"Look, I know it's not Bueno Nacho but it's all I got right now."

Rufus sniffed at the piece warily. In the end she plucked a capsicum from the top and nibbled at it.

"Rufus. You're missing all of the cheese, nature's perfect food."

"(_Hello? The last glob of '_cheese'_ I fell in tried to eat _me!)"

"Oh, don't be so melodramatic."

"(_Melodramatic_? _I'm the size of your palm! I was caught in a pizza box avalanche that almost crushed me, then trapped in a web of yellowy death… trap_… hey! _Did_ _you respond to me_?)."

Kim walked into the kitchen still wearing the love heart t-shirt and sweat-pants that were her customary nightwear.

"Ron, I know Rufus helped us at the space centre but does he have to climb all over our breakfast table?"

"I gave him a bath yesterday. You saw me give him a bath."

"But look, he's getting all overexcited."

"(_Pay attention to me now_!)"

"Fine. I'll make him a litter box."

"(_Urgh!_)"

Ron picked up Rufus, an empty ice cream container and shredded some newspaper. He placed the padded container on the tiled floor with Rufus inside.

"Don't worry buddy, I understand."

"(_You do_?)"

"You won't eat cheese because cows are sacred in your country."

"(…? _That's India_! _I'm African-American_! _How can you not tell the difference_?)"

Ron leaned in closer and whispered. "I think Kim's warming to you too."

...

Somehow Kim found herself in the same place she found her mother the previous night, standing in front of the fireplace looking over the photos that lined the mantelpiece. Like her mother the previous night her eyes eventually settled on her parents wedding photo.

Ron finished with Rufus and came into the living room. Kim looked away from the mantelpiece trying to cover her sentimental moment.

"Did you leave me any pizza?"

"Course. The vegetarian," he joked. "We should probably get ready for school."

Kim's shoulder's sagged. "I'm not really sure I want to go."

"No argument there. Think Barkin will let me off too, for sentimental reason?"

"Yeah, I think…, _no!_" Kim answered in an attempt to be playful. "Mom says she wants a few days off work and Uncle Larry is flying in tomorrow. She said she could do without hearing an '_in depth_' review of _Star Trek_ at a time like this, but I think she's happy he's coming."

"I wouldn't mind hearing his take on the alternate timeline plot and how the loss of Vulcan against the early gain of advanced teleportation techniques and the knowledge of future Spock will affect the outcome of future challenges to the Federation."

Kim didn't respond. Not for a long moment. When she did she had bigger things on her mind than a science fiction movie.

"What did you want badly enough to work for Wade?"

No warning. No room to evade the issue. No hint of anger or disappointment in her voice, just curiosity. She asked him flat out.

"_Ah_…."

Ron had hoped Wade's cooperation would deflect this line of questioning, or at least delay it. He did not regret exposing his business arrangement with the notorious hacker; it was for a good cause. That didn't make explaining to KP any easier.

"You gave him enough information on your family for him to adopt himself into it," Kim continued laying it all out before them. "You _already_ suspected he was a wanted hacker. And you didn't tell me."

"I swear I never did anything illegal for him. Just delivered boxes of computer equipment…."

"No. Don't say that," Kim warned. "He knew everything about _me,_ Ron."

"I wanted Wade to enrol me in the same college you go to."

Kim blinked. She had to perform a mental rewind and playback to take in what Ron had said. Both because he had relented faster than anticipated, stating his reasoning the moment she finished her sentence, and because his reason was nothing like what she imagined. She hadn't known what to imagine, yet….

"You wanted to go to college?"

"Not _a_ college, _your_ college. You're smart, you do all these extracurricular activities; you'll probably get a scholarship to Harvard or wherever. I… won't."

"We're sixteen. Why are you thinking about this?"

Ron struggled to find the words to explain what he was thinking. "I _wasn't_ thinking about it. When Wade contacted me he offered me money, travel, backstage passes to any event, enrolment at any college. I wasn't seriously considering his offer; the idea just kind of hit me. Do a few jobs for Wade – I don't have to worry anymore."

He was saved from explaining further by the timely intervention of Kim's younger brothers, Jim & Tim. They ran into the living room, Jim carrying a remote control and Tim carrying a device that looked suspiciously like a flying saucer. Poor Rufus was strapped into the pilot seat.

Kim dropped her conversation with Ron. Wade would not be discussed in front of her brothers. She stepped in to block there path. "_Whoa_, hold on! What are you two up to?"

Ron held out his arms while speaking deliberately slow as not to excite the boys. "Guys? I really wish you wouldn't strap Rufus to your inventions…."

"(_And I was on the litter box when they nabbed me too_! _Some people are just animals_)"

The Possible's ignored his plea.

"We're going to find dad!" Tim answered Kim's question first before Jim launched into an explanation.

"The sensors are tuned to seek out every biometrical trace of dad we could think of; his aftershave, the smell of his hair on his pillow, the smell of his unwashed clothes…."

"It's like a bloodhound of the skies!"

"If dad is still in the Tri-City area this remote probe will find him."

"(_It it's remote what do you need _me_ for_!)"

"If it's remote control why do you need Rufus?" Kim asked.

The twins shrugged. "The remote only has a limited range. A pilot could cover more ground," Tim explained their logic.

"And Mrs Mahoney's cat hasn't been he same since our last test flight…."

Jim winced. "Hicka-bicka boo."

"_Hoosha_," Tim agreed.

"(_Oh…, oh darn. Alright, stay calm. Deep breathes…, Ron get over here _and help me!)_"_

Ron slowly advanced on the twins, arms still outstretched. "Look guys, I want to find you dad too but I'm afraid Rufus has a fear of heights so…."

Too late.

"Blast OFF!"

"Blast OFF!"

"(_Oh snap_, _oh snap, oh snap, oh snap_…!)"

"… don't blast him into _outer space. Rufus_!"

Jets extended from the circular frame of the craft. Each one powered up and violently lifted the craft from a prone position on the floor. Ron barely yanked his head and arms back in time to save them. Kim shielded her eyes. The craft soured straight up rapidly, only halting half a metre from the ceiling.

"(Ahhhh! Ahhhh! Ahhhh! Ahhhh! Ahhhh? Ahhhh….? Ohhhh. _Oh. Thank you Jesus_.)"

"_Tweebs_!" Kim yelled at her brothers. "You almost you're crazy invention through the ceiling!"

"Did not! We were in complete control of the takeoff."

"It's not like it's the first time we've done this."

"(_I'm fine by the way. Could you set me down_?)"

"Set that thing down _right now_! Mom does not need the house to be destroyed this week."

"We aren't going to destroy it!" the twins protested together.

Rufus was in a pickle. The sibling argument continued beneath her. Ron tried to calmly voice messages of reassurance to his furless companion though he did not look confident. In fact he was troubled like an anxious parent, helpless. Clearly none of the humans were going to get her out of this predicament in a hurry, either unable or too distracted to come to the rescue. It was up to Rufus to see herself safely to the ground.

"(_Alright. It's just like a video game. Just like a video game. Ignore the buttons. Gently on the joystick_….)"

The saucer shot diagonally down. Kim threw her brothers to the ground before they were pulverised by their own crazy creation, lying over the boys to shield them. Ron hid behind the couch.

The saucer bounced off the carpet and shot for the ceiling fan. Before it struck the craft jerked left. It bounced off the ceiling. It jerked right again, than corkscrewed.

"_Land that thing_!" Kim commanded.

"I'm trying!" Jim admitted. "Rufus is fighting for control of the ship!"

The craft almost flew into the fireplace. Both Jim and Rufus pulled up. Instead of the fireplace the craft scrapped along the mantle piece knocking many of the family photos from there perch.

"Cut the power!" Tim advised.

Jim did so. The craft fell from the sky.

Ron did not think. He just acted. He swiped a pillow from the couch and dove. He managed to place it underneath the belly of the craft and catch it before both it, and he, hit the ground.

He was quick to unbuckle his mole rat and comfort her. He did not even mind when she tore and snapped at his jersey in her agitated state. Ron just calmly sat cross legged on the carpet sung a sweet lullaby, relieved she was alright, and waited for her distress to ease.

Kim swiftly confiscated the saucer remote and released the boys from the safely of the floor. She examined the destroyed photo frames, furious.

"Look at what you've done to Mom & Dad's wedding photo!" She picked it up and waved it in her brother's faces. "She's going to be heartbroken when she sees this! Of all the days you've had your chance to destroy the house… you choose… this..."

Her rant trailed off. She examined the shattered photo frame more closely. Front and back.

The twins were confused by her sudden relent. They looked to each other nervously.

"Kim?"

Kim tore the last of the photo frame apart. Inside the frame, the photo had been folded over. Members of the Wedding party were in the background.

Standing next to her father, at his right hand, was Dr Drakken.

...

The single bulb at the end of the corridor did not produce much light. There wasn't much to see if it did, just the cold stone floor and hastily erected iron bar cages. He was the only prisoner. He was alone. James Possible sat in the corner of his damp cell at the far end of the row.

His body was covered in numerous bruises. He had torn off a piece of his shirt and wrapped it around his head to stop blood from a cut on his forehead. He could not remember a time he had suffered a worse beating. Even the bullies in high school were not as savage as those thugs who had worked him over.

Thugs working for Drew.

He did not remember much of abduction. He had tried to piece it all together in his head but he just couldn't. Between the bag and the beatings most of it was a blur. A darkness had descended over his mind and that had, thus far, in this cell, yet to lift.

But before the darkness he remembered Drew.

Down the corridor a heavy metal door was unbolted from the outside. It swung open, admitting one person, than swung shut again. It was hard to make out the man's features in the gloom. But James knew. He had been waiting for him.

The man pulled up a stool next to the cage. He also set up a small office lamp, directing the light into James's face. The sudden brightness hurt his eyes.

"I hope you slept well. Best cure for jetlag. All this jet setting between continents lately."

James managed to cough out the name.

"_Drew_…!"

The man leaned forward, letting the light reveal his smug smile.

"Hello my old friend."

...

_Four year old Kim Possible played with the water rocket her father had given her. It was a simple toy. Fill it using a bucket of water her mother had filled for her, squeeze it and watch it fly. She had endless fun chasing it around the yard. Her mommy was nearby, setting up an umbrella and laying out snacks on the garden table for their barbeque. Daddy and Uncle Drew would be home soon._

_Unfortunately, one time the rocket flew a little too high and got stuck in a tree. Little Kim looked around for a grown up to help her out. Mommy had ducked into the kitchen to grab more snacks. There was no one else around. _

_No problem for Kim Possible. Not with her friend, Panderoo, at her side. _

_The first branch was hard to get to. She needed to drag over a plastic garden chair, then stack her tricycle and bucket on top of that. Once past her first hurdle however she found it remarkably easy to get from branch to branch. She imagined for a moment she was a monkey, able to travel along the tops of the tallest trees._

_The water rocket was a far out on the end of a branch. She managed to get above it and tired to reach for it. To stretch her arm as far as it could go. It still wasn't enough._

"_I can't reach Pande-oo!" Kim called to her stuffed friend whom she had left at the base of tree. The stuffed toy did not answer._

_Determined to retrieve her rocket Kim took a chance. She braced herself and lunged for the rocket. _

_She grabbed it_._ She grabbed the end of the branch too, wrapping her tiny arms and legs around it. It swung violently under her weight, dipping but not breaking. Little Kim held on with everything she had until the tree limb stopped shaking._

"_I did it!"_

_Very pleased with herself Kim started to shimmy back for the safety of the tree trunk were the tree limbs were thicker. She had not made it far when the branch gave way._

_Kim fell from the tree…_

_And into the arms of Uncle Drew, bowling him over. When she sat up she was sitting on his stomach. Uncle Drew was flat on his back, groaning in pain. _

_Her parents were not far behind Drew. Mommy picked her up and held her tight. She started methodically checking for injury while giving Kim a right talking to for attempting something so foolish. Daddy helped Uncle Drew up. _

….

"Kim?"

"Kim?"

The twins were confused by Kim's sudden silence. A few seconds ago she had oddly stopped yelling at them and instead stood transfixed by the photo she held in her hands. They called her name but she ignored them. She was in her own memories.

Finally, when their calls became louder and more urgent, Kim bellowed at them to, "_**be quiet**__!_"

...

"It was a rough time after I left the space centre and Middleton. Blacklisted. No respectable firm would touch me. With dwindling savings I drifted from job to job, flat to flat; gas station attendant, port-a-loo rental service, door to door salesman. Sitting alone in a leaky two room flat I really did come close to giving up, you know? Ending it all….

"That was when _they_ came to me, when I had hit my lowest point. They offered me work. A whole new life."

James sat up against the cage bars. His throat was parched. He croaked out the question.

"_Who…_?"

"World Empire."

"_Terrorists_!" James spat out the horrid term. "_Murderers_."

"Oh please James, don't be a dismissive," Drew scolded. "World Empire is far more than a scruffy mob of terrorists. WE facilitates change of government services, helps nations defend themselves, gives the downtrodden a chance to better themselves. Look at Zimbabwe. That nation was marred by political strife, disease and hyperinflation. After calling in WE the nation received a massive cash influx, vast fields of genetically strengthened crops now feed the surrounding nations and all political opposition has… _disappeared _overnight. It even has a Space Program to rival NASA!"

"You forgot military build-up and expansionist tendencies."

Drew gave a forced laugh "Yes, it's true. Life working for WE isn't all peaches. Civil war in Pakistan, drug war in Mexico, cyber warfare, exasperating drought in Australia; introducing sterilising agents to the waterways of Sudan's unwanted minorities…."

"And you worked for them. You bastard! You worked for them."

Drew didn't deny it.

"_Kimmie cub. You should know you can't climb trees."_

"_I can do anything!" Kim replied defensively._

_Drew blinked. James went red but his friend just chuckled. "Can you now sweetie? Can you lick your nose?"_

"_No." Kim admitted, both amused at the thought and annoyed Uncle Drew had found a chink in her logic._

"_Here. I came outside to give you this." _

_Drew took out a lollypop and handed it to the little girl._

"_Suck on this and your tongue might grow."_

_Kim readily pulled the wrapper off her prize and ran off again to play. Before she got too far she overheard her mommy and Uncle Drew talking. _

"_Drew. You're so good with kids."_

_Drew laughed. "Kid's are fine. Wait until she's a teenager, that's when the nightmare starts."_

….

Anne Possible, attracted by the saucers path of destruction, hurriedly threw on a dressing gown and went outside her room to investigate.

She entered the room right after Kim yelled at her brothers to be quiet, an act which startled Ron from his Rufus lullaby though she was still very distressed in his hands.

"_Can I lick my own nose_?"

Kim voiced the question quietly. The others didn't understand. Disturbed the flood of long forgotten memories, Kim passed the wedding photo off to her mother and fled the room for her own.

...

"I spent the first few years in the Iraqi desert, working with their WMD program. Terrible place the desert. Unforgiving, like my WE taskmasters. Survive there, you can survive anything. I was glad when we evacuated in 2002 ahead of and Global Justice forces and set up shop in North Korea. Later I was promoted to '_Special Weapons Division_;' worked under a _real_ bastard who called himself Professor Dementor."

Drew paused for a moment. When he continued his tone was sombre.

"I can tell you some of the Dementor's experiments would turn the stomach of any hardened terrorist."

James was incredulous. "And you're going to _give_ this man **RF-78**?"

"Oh no, he's dead," Drew revealed gleefully. "Destroyed by his own twisted creation. My associate, Shego, and I saw to it years ago. When I began preparation for leaving WE. No, this time," his voice increased in tempo, "_Dr Drakken_ flies solo with a scheme of his own. One for which the horrified nations of the world will blame WE! While _I_ kick back with my millions in a quiet village up north in Canada. _Ha, ha ha_! Shall I tell you my plan? It's really quite impressive."

James did not remember one time Drew had ever laughed like that before. The menacing chuckle seemed out of place coming from the pale man wearing an oversized pair of browline glasses. It would be comical if Drew didn't have the hired muscle to back it up.

He was clearly incredibly pleased with himself, James recognised that much. He hated the idea of stroking the madman's ego yet he still wanted to know what he was planning. He tried to work it out on his own.

"Hang on." James thought for a moment, about RF and what it was designed to do. "If you needed _78_…, you're going to clean up a radioactive disaster?"

"Eventually," Drew admitted, pleased that James was showing interest in his scheme. He waited for James to puzzle out the rest.

Finally it struck him. "But first you have to cause one."

Drew grinned. "Precisely."

James paused again, taking it in.

"Where?"

"Right here. In Middleton."

Drew stood up and kicked the stool away.

"I apologise for the spartan décor. We're still in the middle of renovation. You may not believe me but my quarters aren't any better. I'll tell you what; I'll have my men let you out for some fresh air. Give you some fresh clothes and a hot meal. It's the least I can do for my old friend."

...

"_Boys_! Explain yourselves this instant!" Anne demanded from the twins sternly upon seeing the mess in the living room and her daughter so thorough spooked.

Ron got up and stood beside her, glancing at the photo. He immediately saw what had Kim wigged.

"That's him," he informed the Possible's grimly. "That's Drakken."

...

In a van at the end of the street a GJ agent waved his hands victoriously in the air. "_Bingo_! We have our scumbag! The teens have recognised him from the family wedding photo."

Agent Du walked over and donned a headset. "Show me."

The agent did. He rewound and replayed the recording device. They had secreted several onto the windows of the Possible household during the night. It had been a milk run for an expert agent like William Du.

"We got him," Du agreed. "Good work. Keep listening in. Tell me if anything else comes up. I'll inform the Director. With any luck we'll lay this thing to rest by the end of the weekend."

Patting the operator on the back, Du exited the van. He had a vital phone call to make.

...

Kim ran into her room and threw herself on her bed as she did the previous evening after meeting Dr Director and Agent Du.

He was back. Uncle Drew was back. It explained so much. He knew her fathers work. He knew his favourite catchphrase. He must have recognised it yesterday when he asked Shego to take her prisoner.

She felt the urge to clutch Panderoo, but she didn't want to. Not now. It felt dirty now.

….

"_See, see! This is Lion-us. He's a Wal-us and a Lion. And this is Tig-sy. He's a ti-ga and a monkey so he can swing all around the jungle."_

"_Which makes him an extra special King of the Jungle," Drew commented. James, sitting across from him in the Possible living room, was silently laughing. Kim had taken her entire Cuddle Buddy collection, her pride and joy, down from her room to show Uncle Drew. It was a cold night but the fireplace kept the family and their friend toasty warm._

"_Oh, and this is Ela-gata. He likes to swim but mommy won't let me take him in the bath."_

"_Where did you get so many friends Kimmie?" Drew asked. He already knew the answer. James dragged him down to the Toy Store every time they went away to a conference._

"_Daddy gets them for me every time he goes on a bus-ness trip," Kim happily explained. An idea sprung to her little mind and she climbed up onto Uncle Drew's knee. _

"_You tell him next time what I really want is a Pande-oo."_

….

_When Daddy and Uncle Drew returned from their next conference, Daddy was carrying a specially wrapped black box with yellow ribbon. After greeting the pair and making sure to say, "Please and Thank You," Kim gleefully opened the box._

_To her amazement it was not just a Panderoo in the box. It was Panderoo Superstar Edition!_

_Kim jumped on her father, giving him the biggest bear hug she could muster. "Thank you Daddy!" _

"_You should thank Uncle Drew. He can find anything… and he wrestled a grandma so I could escape with it." He winked._

"_I did not!" Drew exclaimed, outraged. "Exactly…."_

_Kim ran over to Drew's leg, squeezing it. "Thank you Uncle Drew!"_

_Uncle Drew wasn't quite sure how to react. After a moments hesitation he simply patted her hair. "You're welcome, sweaty."_

….

"_**Snap**_!"

In a fit of anger Kim threw Panderoo across her room. She didn't know if the explosion of anger made her feel better, but it felt right. She threw the rest of her Cuddle Buddies off her bed.

When the Cuddle toys and the pillows were dispatched she looked around for more items to toss. She eyed the items on her dresser, lamp, a hairbrush, make-up, Kimmunicator….

_Kimmunicator_!

The sight of Wade's gizmo cleared her head. She was still furious but now she was thinking.

"You know my name. I know yours."

She used the device to contact Wade.

...

Drew kept his word. He had his men remove James from the cell, clothe him in red overalls, feed him, and direct him to the command centre of the operation. Drew and his enforcer, Shego, were waiting. Although, _she_ was seemingly more interested in a margarita, or some cocktail, and a magazine. She lay across the rooms computer consoles like a cat, legs crossed, head resting on her arm; daring the henchman to stare at her tight jumpsuit.

None of the men working at the consoles _dared_ stare at anything but their shoelaces.

James couldn't tell where he was; only that the building seemed old and decrepit. Yet the equipment it housed was state of the art. If he had to guess he would say it was a fair sized warehouse with corridors linking to the mess hall and prisoner quarters. If there were windows the henchmen leading him never let him see it.

The 'command centre' was nothing more than a small managerial office accessed by a rickety staircase. Nevertheless it was packed with numerous high tech computers. Outside the office window to the warehouse floor were twin vats, each filled with a familiar blue liquid. One was labelled **RF-16**; the other **RF-78**.

"You've produced that much **RF-78** in one night?"

"_Pfft_. _Please,_ I stole the formula _months_ ago."

James was stunned by the revelation. "But…, the _space centre_! _Me_!"

Drakken shrugged. "Revenge for my blacklisting. Also, I could not afford the competition once my plan gets underway. There must be no alternate source of **RF-78**. I admit you almost ruined everything when you returned from the Ukraine sooner than expected. You never gave my carefully placed propaganda machine time to truly demonise you and your work."

Once again James was both stunned and horrified. Every word from Drew's mouth revealed a new outrage. That he worked for WE, that he stole **RF-78**; that he was going to destroy Middleton! His friend! Now Drew casually admitted to sabotaging his work and demonising him in the press. He started to turn red with fury.

"_Gutter Slime_! You almost killed Joe with that stunt at Prypiat! You destroyed my life's work!"

Shego giggled. James could not tell if it was because of his outburst or something she had read in the magazine. She had not seemed to be paying attention.

Drew, however, was not amused. A glace at his guards and they had their staff weapons activated and ready. Very aware of the electrical sparking noises behind his back, James took the hint and zipped his lip.

When he was sure James was nice and intimidated, Drew sidled over to his old friend. Even stooping at the neck as was his custom, he was still of imposing height. He could look down on James and warn him in a dangerously low voice.

"It was my life's work before you had that little _accident_. Then you revived my work and stood poised to take all the credit, so I consider us even. I waited a long time for you to perfect my creation James. I was beginning to fear you would never solve the toxicity problem, but now that you have, I know **RF-78** as intimately as you do. Do not _ever_ make the mistake of thinking you are necessary to my plans. You're still alive out of common courtesy. Nothing more."

James gulped. He knew he shouldn't, though he felt Drew was selling his achievement short.

"I also lessened the elastic properties," he squeaked.

"Yes. I _noticed_ that."

...

Kim was going to retrieve her father. Her bedroom was HQ for the operation. Ron, Rufus and Wade via the Kimmunicator made up her council of war.

"Dr Drew Theodore Lipsky? Sure, I can tell you everything about him. Grades, degrees, jobs, social security number, library books checked out…."

Kim frowned. "Quick question. Isn't that illegal?"

On screen, Wade was dumbfounded. "_Ah_…."

"(_No $#:%! Have you been paying attention? This is what the guy does_; _don't go high and mighty on us now_.)"

Seated at the end of Kim's bed, Ron scratched his neck and tried to help his hacker friend out.

"_Um_…. KP, I'm not sure you want to_ know_ the answer to that question. Not if you want Wade's help."

"Think of it this way," Wade added. "The patriot act lets the FBI see what library books you check out. Why can't I?"

"That's not very convincing logic…."

She welted under the heavy stares of Wade, Ron and Rufus.

"_Fine_!"

Satisfied the moral considerations were laid to rest, Wade continued his profile. "He's an expert aeronautical and chemical engineer, the same as your dad, dismissed from the Middleton Space Centre twelve years ago after an industrial accident. His project, **RF-16**, escaped containment. Worked a string of odd jobs before disappearing _ten_ years ago. The attack on the Space Centre, yesterday, marks his first appearance since."

Kim nodded. Exactly as her father had described events.

"Not a big socialiser, he had no friends to speak of other than your dad. Immediate family consisted only of his mother, Maeve Lipsky. S_he_ disappeared three weeks before the disaster at Chernobyl. Neighbours report three men in red overalls arrived to take her away. The _following_ week Interpol advised Miami PD the FBI that _World Empire_ had agents keeping an eye out for Mrs Lipsky."

"(_Uh-oh_)"

Ron shuddered at the imperial mention. "Our boy has enemies."

Even Kim tensed, though she stated with bravado, "It's _me_ he better watch out for."

...

Satisfied there would be no more outbursts, Drew continued to describe his plot, circling James like a shark as he did so. "Now that only _I_ have the means to create **RF-78**, I will devastate the Tri-City area with a nuclear warhead. A construction company, secretly owned by me, is already in position to take the government contract to rebuild. As the _only_ construction company with the means to remove the radioactive fallout, the contract is assured."

Drew stopped when he was once again standing face to face with James, ready to bellow his dramatic finale.

"I will _rebuild Tri-City_! And I will re-name it… _Drakkenville_!"

He started to laugh manically, lifting his arms as he did so, standing like a god basking in his own glory. Shego lost all pretence of reading the magazine and openly mocked, rolling along the computer consoles, giggling hysterically. Not with him. At him.

"_Oh my God_! _You look like such a dork_-_hahaha_…!" she managed to say in between giggling fits.

Drew's mood soured immediately. He let his arms down and glared. She was ruining his big reveal. Even so he oddly let the offence slid, not admonishing the women in any way.

The rest of the henchmen were conspicuously _not_ laughing.

By accident, Shego knocked over her drink. One henchman immediately rushed in to wipe the floor, collect the broken glass and hurry off to dispose of it.

After a long moment, and with many false starts, Shego managed to control herself. Drew remained glaring at her the entire time until he was sure she was done. There it was. The insane plan of a madman revealed.

"The Drew I know would never do this," James stated.

Both Drew and Shego found the pathetic plea immensely amusing. They glanced at each other.

Shego stretched out on the consoles and sat up from her prone position. Coming to stand at Drew's side, he allowed her to continue giggling playfully, running one gloved hand through his dark hair while whispering discretely into his ear.

With supreme confidence, Drew advised James, "The Drew you knew died years ago."

_Dr Drakken _signalled to his men to remove the prisoner. As they pulled him James struggled.

"Get your hands off me! _Drew_! _My family_! _What about my family?_"

"What about your family?" Drakken replied as James was hauled away.

...

"_I got him_! _Drew Lipsky_! He made a small murmur in the news as the new recluse majority shareholder of _Hank Perkins Construction_. The surprise takeover kicked up dirt at the company shareholders Annual General Meeting."

Kim and Ron leaned in closer to the Kimmunicator screen. Rufus popped in ahead of them, obscuring their view. Kim grumbled but Rufus ignored her.

"Since the takeover _Perkins Construction_ has been petitioning for large government contracts. They've also purchased an abandoned silver mine located in the Middleton mountain range; not far from where GJ lost track of Drakken's helicopter."

"Yes!" Kim cried. "That has to be where he's keeping my dad. Wade, I need transport."

"What do want me to do about it? Hire you a taxi?" the wiz-kid complained. "Besides, you'll need more than that. The site is only accessible by a mountain road though Middleton Forrest."

Ron gave the matter some thought. "I might have an idea for ride."

"Oh, by the way," Wade interrupted. "I sent you a package. It should be arriving right… about… _now_!"

Downstairs the doorbell rang. Kim and Ron exchanged puzzled glances.

...

Inside the GJ van the operators gave each other a high five. "Oh my God! I _love_ this kid! Weeks of attempting to track a nuclear warhead across the globe and she cracks the case open overnight!"

"_Wade_ too! Cyber division has been playing cat and mouse with him for a year. He was the cat! I can't wait till Director learns of this," the rear doors to the van opened. Agent Du jumped in with fresh coffee and pizza.

"He must be number two on her hit list aside from Gemini," the operator finished his remark while gleefully digging into his pizza.

"Who?" Du asked, catching the tail end of the comment.

"Wade."

"Wade?" he repeated, confused. "Wait, _Wade_? '_Ghost in the Machine'_…?"

"Yep."

"_Director's diary_…?"

"That's the one. The kids are having a video conference with him even as we speak."

...

"If I didn't _adore_ you so darn much," Drakken warned with a fake smile, "I'd put you down."

"Good luck finding a henchman daring enough to try," Shego purred in her employer's ear while still playing with his hair. "We both know _you_ couldn't pull the trigger."

Drakken sneered. He swatted her hand away from his greasy hair. "Would you_ stop that_!" he gruffly demanded.

Amused, Shego wiped her glove on the shoulder of his lab coat. With the captive doc returned to his cell she lost her playfulness, returning to an ice cold demeanour.

"We have a problem. The Possible girl Id-ed you from an old family wedding photo."

"Which would not have been a problem if you had subdued her like I asked," Drakken snapped.

"Or if you had blown the building any one of _fourteen minutes earlier_!" Shego shot back.

Drakken growled. He grabbed one of the computer technicians by his collar and threw him from his work station. The technician picked himself from the floor and stood at ease next to his boss while Drakken slouched in the now vacant chair.

Drakken considered his timetable and the danger of discovery by GJ or WE. He was more than a little aware of the high wire act he was performing and the consequences should he fall.

"Bring me the cheerleader and her family," he at last commanded a henchman.

...

"_Kim!" _her brothers called out._ "There's a package for you_!"

"_It says it's from… _Wade Stoppable?"

"What's in it?" Kim asked the Kimmunicator with excited suspicion.

"I spent last night whipping up a few more accessories to go with the Kimmunicator. How would you like a new hairdryer?"

"I towel dry."

"Not a problem."

Kim took the Kimmunicator and rushed downstairs with Ron close behind. Her brothers were already tearing at the wrapping. Kim allowed them to continue. When they had it open the first thing they pulled out was a hairdryer.

A hairdryer with a grapple attachment loaded in the barrel.

"Hicka boo?"

"_Hoosha!_"

Kim held up the Kimmunicator so that Wade could see her, and before signing off said, "You rock Wade."

...

"Yeah, I have to hand it to madam Director," Agent Du shook his head. "She _really_ knows how to call them."

His mobile went off. Agent Du was quick to check the number. "Excuse me guys, urgent call."

Once again he left the van to speak in private. One of the GJ operators nudged his mate.

"I bet we all get a promotion for this."

"What would that make golden boy? Semi-director?"

They both had a good laugh, though outside Agent Du was not smiling.

"_Yes_, it's a positive Id…. Drew _Lipsky_…. Look, there's more! They're interested in an old silver mine Middleton Ranges…. _Well of course I haven't called them yet_! That would make a mess of the entire operation now wouldn't it?…. _Fine_! What do you want to do?"

Du removed the phone from his mouth while he silently cursed and balled his fist.

"_Bring her in_?" he said sarcastically. "Why, wouldn't it have saved us all a lot of _grief_ if you had done your _job_! And handled that_ yesterday_! Now everything's going to get messy…. Yeah, yeah, I'm doing it. Don't know why."

He made sure he was the one who hung up first. "Stupid pricks. Couldn't steal a candy bar without me holding their hands."

He took out his service weapon and methodically checked the inner workings, ensuring it was clean, loaded and ready. As an extra precaution took out a silencer and screwed it on the end of the barrel.

"Damn it! There goes my perfect mission success ratio. Director's going to give me so much flak for loosing the girl," he muttered angrily.

Weapon raised, Du threw open the rear door of the van….

_

* * *

_

Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce the Villains!


	11. Ch 10: Villains

Author's Note: Good job boys and girls. Two reviews right off the bat. Sadly the next four weeks have been a little dry. Clearly room for improvement.

Retcon: As I'm sure you realise, releasing each chapter as completed is risky. There is always the chance of a stuff up, or even a new idea, no matter how well pre-planned the story is.

In this case it is a new idea. For the plot of '_KPM4: Shego'_ in fact. In Ch 8: _Wade_, I stated Wade stopped reading Betty Director's diary due to passages about her best friend and brother. For reasons I will explain in due time, this shall be changed to best friend and '_ex-husband_' over the course of the next few days.

**

* * *

**

Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible™ or any character, location or event from that said show. Or the video game of the same name.

* * *

Ch 10: Villains

Kim knocked frantically on the bedroom window.

"_Joe!_ Joe, are you home?"

Ron wondered up the narrow side path to Joe's flat. His cosy little hideaway was situated behind his dojo with both it and the path surprisingly well concealed by foliage. It was also clad in corrugated iron to resemble a simple garden shed. Few realised the building was in fact a small yet very cosy and liveable home.

"His isn't in the dojo either. Look's like this is a bust."

"Of all the times for Joe to take a vacation," Kim grumbled. "Good idea anyway Ron."

"I'm not entirely clear on whom it is you're trying to contact," Wade added over the Kimmunicator. "Who's Joe?"

"Joe. Joe is... Joe," Kim shrugged. Wade waited for more information.

"Joe! Joe..., Ron, what is Joe's last name?"

"You're asking _me_?!"

Kim started describing Joe's role in her life for Wade. "He saved my Dad's life during the first RF incident at the Space Centre. Family friend, school janitor...."

Wade continued to stare blankly.

"He operates this dojo. He was my first teacher in martial arts…."

"He _was_?!" Wade sounded genuinely mystified. "_I_... I assumed you were self taught! I have no record of any of this!"

Kim smirked at the admission. "Come on? You _claim_ to have detailed files on me and you've never heard of Joe?"

"_Nothing_! He doesn't exist anywhere in my database."

"I've attended his dojo classes since I was five. Later he arranged for me to spend a summer under the instruction of several masters of the martial art forms. I mean, he was right there with me when I won the state junior martial arts competition."

"Hang on…." A video recording of the event played over the Kimmunicator screen. Joe was conspicuously missing.

"Kim, I've seen this video half a dozen times. I've never seen you talk to anyone but Ron or your family."

Ron peered over Kim's shoulder at the recording. "Ok. That's just creepy…."

"I know…."

"I mean, you don't think he has mom's video recording of my potty training, do you?"

Kim lifted her eyes from the screen, twisting her head give Ron a blank stare.

Wade continued. "I also cannot find a mention of any _Joe_ in the official report on the space centre accident, or in your schools employment records."

"_Ah, _well there's your problem. I wouldn't be in the employment records. I _volunteer_ at the high school."

Kim and Ron tensed. Joe's cool voice, as usual, slipped past their defences to give them the chills. They looked every which way direction for its owner, and finally up.

Joe was sitting on the edge of the dojo roof, scrapping up leaves and mud from his guttering and emptying it into a bucket.

"I earn money operating the dojo. The janitor thing is more of a passionate hobby."

"My dad's been kidnapped…."

"I know," Joe said.

"We have to do something…."

"I am doing something."

"You're cleaning your guttering?" Ron questioned.

Joe rolled his eyes and threw a mud ball at Ron's feet. "I'm waiting… and thinking."

"Waiting for what?"

"Look kids, I want to find James too. Believe me, I do. I cut a trip to Europe short to be here. But until the kidnapper makes a _mistake_ and we can _locate him_…. Yeah, I'm cleaning my guttering."

"And what if he already has?" Kim asked.

...

Pleased with the efficiency of his men, Dr Drakken eagerly opened the hatch to the confinement area. It was time to inspect his new accusations and to gloat at their unfortunate condition. Never mind James would be glad to see his family or that they would now miss the fireworks display he was plotting for Middleton. They would regret falling into his grasp soon enough. The arrogant teenager especially would be the target for his cruelty. He would see her cower for scaring his face….

Drakken stepped into the cell area and abruptly halted in disbelief. The sudden outburst from the prisoners was deafening. A whole troop of teenage captives opened up. Some pleaded to be released, some jeered and threw insults. One older blonde tried to calmly hit upon his reason. In another cell, one tan and one dark skinned girl threatened him with _unrepeatable_ abuses.

Every damp, cold cell was filled with high school cheerleaders, still in their skimpy little cheer uniforms.

Drakken retreated from the cells in wide-eyed shock and shut the hatch behind. "W-W-W-W-What is this?" he stammered.

Monotone voice synthesizers explained, "Well you ordered that the 'cheerleader' and her family…."

"I said bring me _the_ cheerleader," Drakken enunciated '_the,_' singular, to the guards, "not…, not…. Not every _cheerleader _in_** the Tri-city area**_**!**"

Drakken yelled so hard it hurt. Such was his fury he caused both the guards and the girls in the next room beyond the heavy door to recoil.

"The girl wasn't at home with her family; she had already left for school," a henchman quickly explained. "So we went down to the high school and nabbed the whole squad. One of them is her right?"

"Oh my God," Drakken muttered, running a palm across his forehead and through his hair. His head hurt from their ineptitude. He opened the hatch once more to check.

"_No_! On top of all this, you _failed_ to kidnap the correct cheerleader!" he answered furiously. So great was his anger that he had to place a hand against the corridor to steady his nerves. His breathing was heavy, like a rodeo bull. A moment into considering the situation he looked up and asked, "Does Shego know about this?"

"I do not believe so doctor."

"Keep it that way. The last thing I need right now is a crack about a Barbie doll collection."

...

Once Joe slipped into his red overalls and placed his beanie snugly on his head he was ready to face any obstacle. He led the teens to a local garage down the street. Inside a rented container, protected by numerous locks, sat his baby. A 1984 Chevy pick-up truck. It was beat up, dented, the grey paint was fading; and it growlled like the wolverine that was painted along the side of the vehicle. As tough and as mean as they come.

Even for a wolverine the trail through the Middleton ranges proved extremely difficult to transverse. Mud, ditches, streams, fallen trees; only the coxing of its skilled driver kept the truck upright and moving. On the odd occasion skill was not enough. On the odd occasion sending Ron to push the vehicle out of the mud was required.

"Why do I have to be the one to push?!"

"Well you sure as hell ain't driving!"

"And I'm operating the winch!" Kim called out. She was a few metres forward of the vehicle tying a steel cable around a sizable Middleton Oak.

"Great. So I'm the only one with mud all over his new pants."

"Think of the mud as extra camouflage," Joe advised. "Be thankful you're wearing black and greys. It should wash right out with the right stain remover. What's with the ninja duds anyway, eh?" he asked, referring to Kim and Ron's new set of matching mission clothes. Grey cargo pants with innumerable pockets, black boots, black long sleeved tops (Kim's being cut short around the waist), and black gloves. Kim had even tied her hair back with a black hair tie. In the back seat of the truck were their equipment belts, harnesses and all manner of other equipment. All of it in the package sent over by Wade.

"You look like you're on a mission to knock over Fort Knox," Joe completed his thought.

After the vehicle was free was again to continue its perilous journey, and before Ron could open the door and climb inside, Joe threw him a handy wipe.

"Wipe the mud off your boots before you get in. And you're sitting on a towel. I don't want you getting mud all over the backseat."

...

They stopped a short of the mining complex least they give away the element of surprise. Kim hurriedly collected their gear, commenting, "Thanks Joe," as she reached for the door latch.

Joe was quicker. He hit the centralised locking mechanism

"Hold on '_ginger ninja'_. You mind telling me what this place is?"

"_Abandoned silver mine_."

"_Mad scientist's evil lair_," Ron said over top of Kim.

"You think this is where Dr Drakken is hiding your father? Based on circumstantial evidence dug up by your wanted hacker friend?"

Kim nodded.

"Probably men armed to the teeth all over the area."

"With lasers," Ron agreed.

"So would I be a responsible adult if I let you go in alone?"

"… maybe?" Kim cautiously answered.

Another voice, one of authority and weight, added itself to the conversation. "I don't think it will be a problem sir."

Agent Du emerged from the forest undergrowth in green and black camouflage gear, assault rifle in hand. Even his face was painted green and black until no pink flesh was visible. He sidled up to the passenger window.

"I'll keep them out of trouble."

"You're still a pipsqueak yourself," Joe looked the young man over. Du flushed at the insult.

"Well this _pipsqueak _has you're vehicle targeted by a team of global justice snipers. You've stumbled into our operation area. I need you to leave before one of our targets spots this vehicle."

Du changed his focus to Kim, opening the door for her like a gentleman. "Miss Possible can stay given her familial relationship with the hostage. Provided she stays back out of harms way." He nooded his head toward Ron. "It would be doing me a real favour if you can take the rodent, and his pink gerbil, back down the mountain with you."

"_Hey_! Isn't that joke getting old?"

"Forget it _Agent Du_," Kim stepped out of the vehicle to make it easier to argue. Ron followed suit, ignoring Du's order to, "Get back in the car, Stoppable."

Kim was determined to rescue her father and make a difference. Once Du had stopped trying to order Ron back into the car she defiantly declared, "I've already proven I can handle these creeps. I'm going in whether you like it or not."

"Oh yeah, well can you disable a nuclear warhead? I suppose you have a plan back up plan in case he releases the large volume of **RF-16** _toxin_ he's been stockpiling?"

"**RF-16**?" Joe echoed. "_Again_? Are you contact with Betty?"

Du tensed. "We're operating under strict radio silence," he advised, and raised a palm to ward off any more questions. "We have it under control sir."

Joe considered. "Du may be right Kim. Look. I think I might have a… _solution _to our RF problems at least. I'll head back down the mountain and see what I can put together. May as well allow Ron to stay Willaim. He's like a son to the Possibles."

"How did you know my...? Never mind."

It was clear Du wanted to argue the point. In the end he seemed to come to terms with this arrangement in his head and simply shrugged. He nodded for Ron and Kim to follow. The teens strapped on their gear and followed Du into the brush. Ahead of them Du spoke into a mike, softly so a flea could not hear if he were not wearing the receiver.

"Wait until we're inside. The hobo does not leave the forest."

...

"Listen _Will_! Drakken's no slouch. You're going to need all the help…."

Du barely listened as he discarded several items of camouflage. "Okay," he said offhand.

Kim hesitated. "Okay what?"

"Okay. You can come too." Du checked over his rifle. "I'll take point, you stay tight behind me."

"I don't understand."

Agent Du shrugged. "I may have exaggerated about having a team of snipers. Or a team. They were taken out by Shego this morning. I'm all that's left and Drakken plans to detonate that warhead _today_. Reinforcements may not arrive in time so it's up to us to bury his plans."

He momentarily looked up from his weapon. Straight into Kim's eyes. With all the intensity he could muster he said, "We're the only hope Middleton has."

"Huh? Y-Y-You want me to help you?"

"Look," Du levelled with her, "I've been doing some background research on you since our meeting yesterday and I have to admit I misjudged you. You're smart, brave, skilled and you walked away from Shego with you're _head_! I don't think you're ready for this, _yet_…. But I don't have a choice and neither do you."

Ron grimaced. "Boy, if the situations that bad maybe you should have enlisted Joe too?"

"Who?"

Ron waved 'never mind' and Du let it drop. He instead pointed to the roof of the mining facility. "It may look dilapidated, but there've been substantial modifications to the original structure. I intend to gain entry via that brand spankin' new ventilation shaft. First we recon. Spy out any surprises. Then we try and get to the bomb. Hey…," he paused to underline the seriousness of his next sentence. "Do not blow this. I don't care if Shego's on the verge of ripping your dad's head off. Bomb first. Hostage second."

Du's tone suggested he was not dicking around. His words were law and, even though Kim disliked him, she paid attention. The thought of her father's head being ripped off filled her with dread, but she agreed.

Ron cautiously put his arm up. "And me?"

"Same thing. Only with the added instruction of _don't get us killed_!"

"I'll do my best sir," Ron saluted.

...

Du raced across open ground between the edge of the forest and the mining facility, skidding to a stop next to the building and levelling his rifle to cover the others.

Ron came next, almost tripping over a branch as he exited the brush. Nevertheless he ran quickly and quietly, covering the distance faster than Du did.

Kim was last. She tightened Wade's equipment harness and belt while scanning the facility one last time for guards looking in her direction. One henchman was guarding the Chinook helicopter. He was more interested in his lunch than keeping lookout. The perimeter patrol was still on the far side of the grounds. The lone lookout occupying an erected wooden tower was more intent on watching the only muddy road to the mine.

Kim raced over to the boys. When she was across the open ground Du passed her the rifle and started climbing the guttering.

Kim held the weapon awkwardly. "What do I do with this?" she whispered to Ron.

"You can start by not pointing it at me!"

"Oh!" she pointed it away.

A rope snaked down from the roof. Ron tugged on it to make sure it was secure and climbed first. Once he was safely half way Kim slung the rifle over her shoulder and followed.

Not much further up Ron halted.

"_What is it_?" Kim hissed softly.

"I think... I think my pants are caught." He tried to continue climbing. Tried to pull away from the wall. Tried to go backward. His pants continued to resist no matter which direction he chose.

"I think they're caught on the pipe."

"_Hurry up Stoppable_!" Du called softly but sternly from the roof.

"Hang on…."

He tried to force his way past the hook up, tugging on the pants. They remained fixed to the pipe. Worse, they started to slip….

Kim looked up to see how Ron was faring. Her view was obscured by love hearts.

"Oh Ron," she cringed and looking away.

"What is it?" Du asked from the roof.

"My pants are caught on the guttering!"

"Well get Kim to reach up and unhook them."

"_Get out_!" the teens shot back together.

"Just _do it_!"

Chagrined, Kim reached up and tried to free Ron's pants while keeping her eyes and mind fixed on other things….

...

Du reached over the side of the roof and helped Kim up. He scanned the other rooftops before moving on the ventilation shaft. Crouching next to the shaft he removed a pocket knife style device from his shoe.

Unsure what else to do, Kim kept the weapon pointed at another rooftop and her finger decidedly away from the trigger.

Careful to keep a grip on the catch, Du unscrewed the last bolt. Once it was free he gently placed the catch down, lightly stepped inside the shaft and motioned for the teens to follow. Kim passed the rifle back and followed. Ron was the last to enter. He crawled behind the others in the dark.

Direction was not a problem. This particular building had been cleared out to create one large warehouse. They were already directly over the simmering vats of RF's sixteen and seventy-eight Drakken had been cooking up. Both could be seen clearly through the grates in the ventilation shaft. Standing between both vats was a steel tower in the shape of a cross. Mixers extended from each arm into the vats, like a twin mixing bowl.

Standing next to the vats was a crane vehicle with its cables fixed to something on the ceiling. Drakken must have included a large door in his redesign to admit the vehicle. Kim surmised it was used in the construction of this lab or adding materials to the deadly brew.

The three of them crawled forward from grate to grate trying to understand the layout of the lair. No sign of a nuclear device or hostages. Nonetheless, armed henchmen kept vigil over the entire operation. Kim counted 10 of them. She estimated Drakken had between fifteen to twenty men total including the patrols in the forest. It was hard to tell from the high angle though it appeared Drakken, or someone in his blue lab coat, directing the men from a raised office area off to the side of the operation….

Iron bars slammed down between ventilation shaft sections. The way ahead of Du was blocked. He turned to link up with Kim. Too late. More bars closed between them and they were cut off. Likewise between Kim and Ron. Ron instantly twisted in the piping and tried to kick the bars separating him from KP. They didn't budge.

The shaft rocked violently.

In a desperate act Ron removed Rufus from his pocket and pushed him through the bars. "Go buddy! Run!"

The shaft rocked again. And again.

It broke away completely from the ceiling and plummeted.

The free fall was rough on those trapped inside. It ended also ended abruptly tossing Kim and the others like salad. Still the shaft pieces continued to pitch and spin until Kim realised they were not yet on the ground.

Cables still suspended the shaft pieces in midair, although it was lowering them safely to the ground. She caught a glimpse of the crane and the crane operator. The pale green operator….

The crane deposited them on the ground. They were trapped in a piping no bigger than a dog kennels and surrounded by crack warriors. There was little hope of another escape.

"_Ventilation shafts_?" Drakken mocked, exiting the small office and bounding down the stairs for an opportunity to gloat. "How stupid do you think I am? Any idiot who's seen a Bond film knows to watch the ventilation shafts!"

Shego shut off the crane and jumped out to join her boss. She twinkled her fingers at Kim in passing. "Hi sweetie." Kim slapped the bar to vent her frustration.

"I love this," Drakken snickered. "The prey has come to me. We didn't even have to do anything."

"_You_ didn't!" Du complained from his cage. In a single movement Shego ignited her plasma powers and slashed the bars trapping Agent Du to pieces. He was helped to his feet by a duo of nearby henchmen.

"It seems you anticipated her actions perfectly," Drakken congratulated him.

"Du! What is this!" Kim demanded.

"I told you she would make it here on her own." Du leaned down to Kim's eye level. Now that she realised how she had been betrayed her eyes were on fire. "All action, no thought. I bet you didn't even think to tell the cops where evil Mr Drakken's lair is, did you?"

Shego warned him, "Careful. She looks ready to bite." Kim kicked the bars in response.

"Did you believe I would take no action to protect my identity Miss Possible? Did you truly think I would have no one watching?" Drakken chided. "You have no one to blame but yourself Miss Possible, interfering in my plans as you have. And why did you have to tell mommy and your brothers about me? I had hoped to leave your family out of this, but now…."

He waved an arm. Henchmen pushed the rest of the Possible family forward. James, Anne, Jim and Tim; they were all there. All cuffed together with masking tape over their mouths.

"William brought them in this morning. Seems I've rounded up a Possible Pose."

"If only they all had matching purple uniforms," Shego lamented.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Shego looked away innocently. The barest hint of the smile she was trying desperately not to form crossed her features. Flush with annoyance, Drakken forcefully ordered his men to relieve the teens of their gear and chain them all to the mixing tower.

"Oh, and your friend on the trail…," Du added. He held up a radio. "Do it."

"Target acquired," a crisp voice acknowledged.

Kim struggled to reach the traitor. She screamed and grunted and fought the chains. He was out of her reach. Du just laughed.

...

The back window shattered and fresh circular holes appeared in the front window screen. Joe disregarded any thought to taking the dirt road carefully and rounded the corner like a pro rally driver.

He couldn't get a clear view of his pursuers from the rear-view mirror so he risked a look over his shoulder. Dirt bikes. Three of them. Closing in.

Flashes. More holes in the side of his truck.

Joe's eyes narrow. "That's it."

He opened the glove book and removed a handheld buffer.

"No more nice Canuck. It's time to take the stick off the ice...."

...

Drakken retreated to the office. He ordered his technicians out as Shego and Du entered the room.

"I think we need to advance our timetable," he told them flatly. "The sooner Tri-City is radioactive waste the happier I'll be."

"Don't you think it's a little soon? We just kidnapped the only man who could clean up such a disaster, now you want to detonate a warhead in his hometown? Draw all sorts of heat?"

"I understand Shego, but I'm uncomfortable with mere children tracing us back here. How far behind could Global Justice be? Or the Empire."

The last mention gave even Shego pause. It was certainly something to keep in mind. Beside her, Du was all for an advance in timetable.

"It would be advisable. Hacker kid, Wade, still poses a threat. It'll take too long to trace his communications with the Possible. The warhead will tie up that loose end."

"What makes you so sure he hasn't contacted Global Justice already?"

Shego fielded that question. "No. Dr Director is the last person on Earth he would contact. But once he realises his friends are in danger I'm sure he has other means of pointing the authorities where they need to go."

"Take out Middleton. Take out the kid," Du summarised the neatness of the plot. "Strap the Possibles to the bomb and all loose ends are tied up one gigantic explosion."

"No. No, the Possibles stay close for now."

Du was annoyed when Drakken dismissed the idea immediately. He tried another angle hoping to extract a different response. "Drown them in Dr Possible's formula maybe?" he openly mused. "Poetic."

"Bore them to death with the tale of how you created a rubber repelling belt to conquer the dodge ball court," Shego suggested sarcastically.

"Bury them down in the mine."

"Dress them in blue. They'll die of embarrassment."

"Let them loose in the mountains. The henchmen could use the practice."

"Karaoke till their heads explode. Your other set of captives could be dancers!"

"Drop them out of the helicopter…."

"_Enough_!"

Every suggestion was souring Drakken's mood further.

"First, Shego I don't know what you're talking about. William, when I decide what will become of the Possibles, Shego will handle it."

"Alright. Can I make a suggestion?"

"Go ahead."

"_Shoot them_!" Du insisted. "Today. Now."

"And _why_ are they such a concern of yours?" Shego inquired.

He replied matter-of-factly, "They _are_ the only ones who can link me to you."

"Worried someone may spill your little secret _Dewy_?"

Du didn't rise to her bait. He kept his eyes on Drakken and his voice under perfect control. "Thanks to you two _douches_ I've just recorded my first mission failure. My team is lost, I am captured by the enemy. My perfect record is in tatters. But if one of them escapes we all stand to lose a lot more. Don't forget, I'm the only asset keeping you out of jail."

"Watch who you call a _douche _boy…," Drakken warned.

"This has been a profitable partnership Drakken," Du continued in the same perfectly controlled voice. This time his tone suggested of warning. "We've both benefited from pitting our masters against each other. I would hate to lose the GJ's most useful informant on imperial activities because of a misunderstanding."

Shego moved to stand between Drakken and Du, ready to defend her employer. Each highly trained killer was ready to battle at the split of a hair. For an endless second it seemed they might.

"_I_ will decide the Possible's fate. _Not_ you." Drakken ended the discussion with a stern tone. "Now, if you'll excuse me I have a bomb to prepare." The evil mastermind pushed past Shego and Du to exit the office.

"I expect you will conceive an appropriate fate presently," Du pleasantly agreed in Drakken's wake. Shego moved to follow him out. Her hand was on the door handle when Agent Du mentioned, "I've been meaning to ask. Who took Directors eye, you or the clone?"

He felt the sharp sting of a single claw raking across his cheek, from right ear lobe to nose, before he ever saw her move. When Du removed his hand from his face she was wriggling her right index finger at him. Naughty William.

"It'll help sell the deception to Betty," she explained. "Brave little agent brutally tortured by terrorists._" _Leaning in close to his ear she added. "Bring up the subject again and see what I take from _you_."

Du forced a choking laugh. "No need. I think I have my answer. _Agent_ Go."

Go responded by putting on her sweetest smile, rubbing her hand along his biceps and speaking in her most sensual tone.

"When Drakken decides you're no longer of use, I'll make sure to show you why Gemini no longer has a right."

* * *

Next - Ch 11: Heroes. The conclusion to _Drakken's Demise_ and the beginning of a legend.


	12. Ch 11A: Heroes

Author's Note: _Two Reviews Again_! #$&!

Fine, I don't need to hear your ideas. I know I'm cool.

This is part A of Ch11: Heroes. I felt the chapter was beginning to overextend so I spilt it in half. Needed to break up the near constant hitting people. Part B will follow tomorrow or even latter today. Epilogue will wrap up events soon after.

**

* * *

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Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible™ or any character, location or event from that said show. Or the video game of the same name.

* * *

Ch 11A: Heroes

"_Oou_, a hairdryer. Worried we might ruff up your hair?"

"Look at this cell phone. It's huge! Is it from the 80s? Couldn't your daddy afford anything more modern?"

A group of henchmen crowding around Kim's confiscated equipment and howled mercilessly with laughter. Several of their number felt compelled tease Kim as they rummaged through the devices. Chained to Drakken's mixing tower with her family, there was nothing Kim could do to stop their rummaging or their laughter. They were out of her reach.

She hated them all more than she had ever hated anything or anyone. The venom in her heart for William Du especially concentrated. It threatened to tear her apart.

"_Bwha_! Lipstick! Planning to give us all a smooch, sweetie?"

The curious henchman opened the small tube expecting to find a luscious red. What he got was pink. Pink elastic constricting agent sprayed directly on his face.

The gluey gloop smothered his face, sticking his mouth and eyelids fast. Desperate hands reached up to remove the substance. They too were stuck fast like flies on flypaper. His buddies reached out to aid him. They were lemming all caught in the same trap.

Kim felt a little better.

"You rock Wade."

Four henchmen were attached by their hands, arms and nose hair when Drakken emerged from his discussion with Shego and Du.

"Stand away!" he ordered, "touch nothing."

They did so.

Drakken removed a new pair of browline glasses with think lenses form his lab coat pocket, studying the elastic material and the delivery system. "Borrowed some space centre technology I see?" he said, amused. "The elastic will dissolve an hour, maybe two. Lead them to the infirmary and use chemical suits so if you get caught you can just remove the suit. "

Shego emerged from the control room followed by Agent Du. Drakken frowned when he saw the nasty cut across Du's face. He fixed Shego a questioning stare. She did not elaborate so he did not ask. Instead he addressed the Possibles.

"Does your insurance cover terrorism? No? Pity, because your interference has convinced me to advance my timetable. I'll tell you what; I'll give you a good price on real-estate in Drakkenville, ha-ha-ha!"

"Prepare my warhead for transport," he ordered. "I want Middleton levelled by supper."

"You're scum Drew," Anne told him sternly. "I'm ashamed I ever thought of you as a friend."

James added, "You'd really kill thousands of people for profit, wouldn't you?"

Drakken did not even flinch. "Yes."

"I remember an Uncle Drew who was kind and always had a fresh supply of lollipops."

Drakken regarded Kim carefully through his glasses. The glasses magnified his eyes, making him appear somewhat goofy. There was thoughtfulness in his gaze, Kim could see it oversized visual orbs.

"Why can't I have him back?"

Drakken turned away. "All I remember is being weak."

...

Moments before the shaft section he had been trapped in detached from the ceiling, Ron had managed to release Rufus into the ventilation system. Now she wondered the facility undetected, observing from a under a table leg as the henchmen toyed with Kim's stuff. Losing interest in teasing the family after the elastic incident, they returned to their duties. One pair remained to guard the prisoners. The rest paid little heed to the family.

Rufus watched. From shadows underneath the crane she watched.

Not just the men guarding the Possibles, the entire room. She was tense, fearful a goon would spot her every time she poked her snout from the shadows. Adrenaline told her she already had been every time a glace lingered too long in her direction. She was not spotted though. In fact she was as likely to be seen as an elephant. From the International Space Station!

She pulled her snout back into the shadows to assess the situation and focus her thoughts.

"(_Ok. Alright_._ Ok_)." She took a deep breath. "(_My dim-witted human, his hyperactive mate, and hyperactive mate's family are in trouble, again_! _And it's up to me to save them because they're my ride home_. _Or I could jack that helicopter parked outside_…?)"

She gave the idea a serious thought, but when she twisted her head around to observe Ron's plight once more it was difficult to contemplate leaving him behind. His situation, as dire as it was, barely dented the boy's optimistic, naïve outlook. Even chained to the iron scaffolding by his wrists he had still managed to wriggle up next to Kim for a hug while giving the younger twins a reassuring smile.

"(_Snap! Why does he have to be so cute? Like a freakin' puppy. Fine, Ron can come. Only because he tells me fairytales before bed and warms my milk in the morning. Hyperactive mate and her parents too. Terror twins can be dipped in the toxic gunk for all I care. {Sigh} But Ron will probably want to bring them anyway_.)"

Another scan of the factory floor confirmed no humans were glancing in her direction. Rufus braced herself for action, counted down from ten - and dashed across the room to the Possibles.

...

Kim moved as close to Ron as her chains would allow and rested her head on his shoulder. "Remind me again why I thought this would be a good idea?"

"In hindsight, the idea that the two of us and a naked mole rat could invade the lair of an evil mad scientist, defeat his dastardly plot and rescue your dad does sound a tad optimistic."

"Hey!" an apprehensive henchman called over. "Separate," he ordered.

Exasperated, Kim lifted her head from its comfortable position. The henchman resumed talk with his buddy.

"Please Ron, travel back in time and shake me until I start thinking clearly."

"How did Du know we never informed the authorities about the location of Drakken's lair?" he mused. "We totally could have done that."

"I really have to stop taking my "_I can do anything_" slogan so literally."

"Now Kimmie-cub," James Possible entered the conversation, speaking past his wife and twin boys on the chain gang, "playing the blame game is not going to help anyone. Even if, obviously, you should have told the police…."

"Or Global Justice," the twins said.

"Mr Barkin…?" Ron thought aloud.

James ignored them all, "You have to stop beating yourself up. Turn that frown upside down and remember that you're a Possible! And anything is possible for a Possible. Including breaking out of these chains, saving Middleton and beating the snot out of my old friend Drew."

"So you have a plan?"

Ron's exclamation carried over to the watching henchmen. They tensed, fingering their weapons and eying him suspiciously. Kim and Tim each elbowed him from either side.

"Not as such, no…." James admitted.

Rapidly raised spirits drop just as swiftly. James did not know what else he could say to keep his family thinking positive. The family motto had always worked before. His wife gave him a 'nice try' smile that did not cover her worry in the slightest. The henchmen returned to conversing with one another, a touch more wary than before.

The teenagers resigned themselves to a terrible fate. Ron sighed and hung his head, cheering immediately at the sight of his little friend….

"RUF…!"

Kim and Tim elbowed him again. Harder. Their henchman minders paused in their ongoing discussion for a moment… then resumed.

"_Rufus_!" Ron wheezed in glee. And pain. She propped herself up on the toes of his shoe, standing on her hind legs to mew support. "I knew you would save us."

Kim dismissed the idea. "Not unless he learned sixteen forms of kung fu in the past fifteen minutes."

"Or his teeth are made of adamantium," James added.

"Or he's learned how to pick locks," Kim spoke again.

"We could pick the locks."

It took a moment for Jim's statement to sink in. The elder Possibles and Ron slowly swivelled their heads toward the tweebs in the centre of the chain gang.

"If Rufus could get us thin length of metal, like say, a paper clip or a hair pin...? Tim and I could have all of us out of here in...," Jim considered his estimate. "A minute forty?"

"It was our record with the shark tank," Tim agreed

Each one of the adults stared pokerfaced, blankly and without blinking, as if the tweebs had each developed an extra head in the last five seconds and yet they just did not have the energy to be anything more than mildly surprised.

"You don't know how to do that?" Jim offered.

...

Drakken oversaw the installation of the nuclear warhead onto the helicopter. The device was fitted inside a missile nosecone, ready to be attached to and launched via a missile delivery system. Dr Drakken did not have a missile. Missiles attract unwanted attention. They have a traceable launch origin. Instead wires flowed from the warhead access panel to a small notebook computer secured nearby. On the screen a countdown time was ready to initiate.

...

"Do you think the guards left any hair pin lying around?" James asked.

Anne ran a mental checklist of everything she had in her pockets when she was captured. Agent Du had not left her much to work with. She groaned, considering extreme measures such as bra wire, and lifted her eyes. In a flash of brillaince she spied the answer. Hands chained above his head, her husband was still wearing his chain linked watch.

"_The pins_!"

She quickly explained her hushed statement of excitement to the others.

"The chain links are held together by metal pins. Break the links and give the pins to the boys."

Rufus climbed the Possible patriarch. James giggled slightly as the tiny creature crawled up his shirt. He was pleased with her clawing her way up his face, pawing at his lips and nose. She reached his wrist. It took her a moment of gnawing to get the pins free, pins which she promptly delivered them to the twins.

"We still need a two minute window without the guards looking over their shoulder," Tim advised.

Ron looked to his furless friend to help them out once again. "Think you can cause a little distraction buddy?"

"(_Sure. I'll just get my own prime time show, Naked Mole Rat TV, and keep them entertained with comical hi-jinks for the next half-hour_. I'M THE SIZE OF A BOOT HEEL!)"

"Wade's gadgets are still sitting on that bench," Kim advised. "There's a small container marked lip gloss. Hold your breath, open it, run away; and I swear from this day forward you have first choice of any seat. Any bowl of popcorn you want to swim in. Unrestricted access to the breakfast table."

"So long as your paws are clean," Anne interjected.

Rufus leapt to her mission, working her way around the warehouse floor to approach the bench from the guard's blind side. It took some effort to climb up drawer handles, mole rats are not spiders after all.

The lip gloss was sealed tightly. No doubt Wade believed it would be disastrous for the noxious substance to leak at the wrong moment. Rufus tried in vain to twist the cap off with her minuscule limbs and teeth. Frustrated the container lid refused to budge she looked over the label on the cap.

Child proof.

"(_!_)"

"(_Well_, _I'm glad Wade puts child safety first. Douche._)"

All too aware of the close proximity of the guards, Rufus enacted a plan of desperation. The other gadgets in Wade's kit lay spread out across the same bench including the elastic constricting agent lipstick, the Kimmunicator and the hairdryer/grapple gun. Rufus jumped around the grapple and pushed the barrel around until the point of the grapple was pointing at the lip gloss container.

"(_Nothing is mole rat proof_.)"

She pulled the trigger.

The grapple hook launched from hairdryer.

The action failed in its intended objective. The lip gloss container remained intact; in fact it was knocked off the table and skid across the warehouse floor. The grapple hook did, however, create the required distraction.

It propelled itself through the crane driver window with its cord snagging itself over the controls vanes. The operator jerked back, covering his eyes to protect them from shattering glass. When he lowered his arm he was astounded to find the grapple in his lap.

Another henchman operated a small electric forklift, shifting ingredient from the adjacent storage area to be dumpped into the two massive tanks of RF formula. The driver did not notice the cord spread across his path. It got tangled in his load of chemical barrels. He inadvertantly tugged on the cord – which pulled on every lever in the crane.

The large vehicle went berserk. The mast rose to the stops and punched a hole in the ceiling. It battered the steel beams holding up the roof while the machine swivelled on its turret.

The agonising scrapping reverberation attracted the attention of William Du, running into the mixing room to observe the commotion. "Shut it down!"

Unable to untangle the cord from the control vanes the crane operator cut the power off. The swath of destruction was halted before the roof caved in completely, though significant damage had been done already. Two steel girders supporting the structure had been ripped from the wall. Now it was the roof that supported their weight. Further, it was going to be near imposible to remove the crane mast without doing further harm. It was wedged in good. It was an unsettling amount of damage given the buildings age. The ceiling creaked and dipped.

Drakken and Shego entered the mixing room from outside using the vehicle door; flanked by the henchmen who were just a second ago securing the bomb in the helicopter.

Du ran over to the crane and ripped the operator out through the cab window. He saw the grapple. Saw the rope tangled around the controls. He allowed his gaze to follow the cord back to the grapples origin and those responsible.

The pair guarding the Possibles had been quick to take cover when the roof pitched violently. Diving for the far side of the bench they stayed tight against it until the crane was shut down. When the immediate danger of building collapse seemed to have ended they risked looking over their shoulders and across the table top at the damage.

A villainous trio returned their gaze with dangerous intention.

The weight of Drakken's, Du's and Shego's stares galvanised them into action. They were on their feet double damn quick searching for the cause of the scare. The grapple hook clearly originated from the girls hairdryer. The cord was still attached to either end. As to the culprit who set it off….

"Look, a rat!" one yelled, pointing his finger at the pink flesh ball still standing next to the trigger. His exclamation was exclusively directed toward Drakken and his enforcers, a desperate bid to pass the buck onto anything else. "Get him!"

"(_Hwuh oh!_)"

Tripping over each other to grab her, the rascally rodent was quicker off the mark. She leapt off the bench and angled for her place of in the ventilation. The guards gave chase, swinging at her tail with stun batons. It would have been a bald spot if it were not so already.

"_Enough_!"

All of the henchmen stopped dead in their tracks. Rufus made it the safety of the crane treads.

"Forget the rodent. I want the ceiling secured and my bomb delivered, devoid of any more mishaps. Now, or I'll throw you all in a dark hole where the rats stalk you."

Henchmen moved to do as instructed. Drakken glowered at the grapple hairdryer. Another kiddie gadget brought into his lair by….

His gaze flowed back to a now empty set of chains strung out along the edge of the mixing tower.

"Where are my prisoners?"

...

Henchmen paused. Shego lit a plasma flare in her left hand while she expertly scanned the exits to the room.

"_Lose something Uncle Drew_?!"

Kim leapt from the top of the mixing tower, caught the crane cable on the way down and propelled herself toward her foes. Shego raised her glace to the source of the challenge. Too late to avoid a pair of outstretched legs that hammered her in the chest. With a terrible, "_Ouff_" Shego was thrust backward.

Kim completed a backward cartwheel off her, dismounting impossibly lightly next to Dr Drakken. The villain was stunned by her performance.

"Your sanity perhaps?" Kim completed her question.

Will raced forward, arm outstretched with a finger hovering a button on his wristwatch. Kim sidestepped to put Drakken between them, denying him a clear shot. She also struck Drakken's Adam's apple with her fingers and pushing him backward into his enforcer.

It was a moment's respite. Henchmen forgot their assigned duties and launched themselves at Kim, attacking mostly with their fists or the odd stun baton. Du viciously shoved the doctor aside and raised his watch arm again….

"Hey Du!"

Finger already depressing on the watch button, Will shifted his head to locate the challenger through his peripheral vision.

Ron Stoppable leapt onto the treacherous agent's back, throwing his arms around his face and legs around his waist. Will's aim was thrown off by Ron's weight. A small sucker tab shot out from his wristwatch, undershooting Kim and attaching itself to one of the henchmen attacking her. The man was confused at first. What was this cord that had affixed itself to him? He received his answer in a jolt. Paralysis was instant.

"More like a _Du_-_Du not_!"

Ron's terrible wit received the reward it justly deserved, a sharp blow to his chin courtesy of William's head.

...

Dr Drakken crouched on the ground, gasping while grasping at his neck and desperately struggling to bring his breathing back under control. It felt like his windpipe had been hit by a sledgehammer, not a sixteen year old girl. Where had his bothersome god-daughter learned to hit like that?

His attention elsewhere, his first indication that someone was coming for him was when a pair of leather shoes stopped before him and a pair of arms gripped Drakken by the front of his overcoat.

"Hi there," Dr Possible greeted his oldest friend with a warm false smile.

Drakken opened his mouth to respond. The best he could manage was a slight huff.

"I bet you thought it was really funny to switch formulas on me at Prypiat. Actually, I think the team there wanted me to deliver a little something…."

James finished his sentence with his fist.

...

The henchmen came forward.

Confronting the troublesome cheerleader first was a massive man with a massive fist being drawn back to inflict a massive ouchy. Kim slipped to the side when the blow came down. While he was overbalanced forward she leapt up, pushing off his biceps and delivering her knee into his goggles.

The next challenger, a much smaller man thankfully, swung his electrified staff diagonally down at her. Another slip off to the side and a roundhouse kick to his head put him down. Then the rest were on her.

Kim was outnumbered by several trained thugs, some of them thrice her size. She used her foes numbers to whatever advantage she could, manoeuvring them into positions where they posed as much threat to each other as themselves. Her small size and gymnastic agility came in handy, sidestepping past ugly beat downs or back flipping away from staff weapons or batons. Nonetheless, their number was sufficient to keep her on the defensive, deflecting blows with her palms and forearms while jumping over heads. Whatever blows she did land were opportunistic. A palm strike here, a power kick to the shin there; she could disorient and keep them off balance. Keeping them down was another matter. They were big enough, mean enough, and increasingly pissed enough to shrug off her blows. The odds were falling out of her favour.

Kim pushed off a henchman, kicking him in the chin as she back flipped to create some distance. Angry killers gave chase.

A bolt of green plasma melted the concrete floor between them and Kim. Angry killers stopped in their tracks.

"She's mine," Shego commanded.

Not a man dared question it.

...

The jarring impact against his chin caused Ron to lose his grip. It was followed in quick succession by an elbow to his gut and a backward kick.

Ron went down hard.

Hitting a reset button on his GJ issue watch, the paralysis zapper rewound until it was ready to fire again. Goofy blonde appeared to be out of the fight. William left him to get acquainted with his new friend pain. There was a real threat out to deal with on the floor, holding her own against a small army of thugs. Young Possible could not be made out for the amount of red uniformed henchmen attempting to tear a piece from her. He was perturbed then, when Shego called the young Miss Possible out first.

"Nuts. Guess that leaves me to clean up the filth."

A peek to his left had James Possible beating the snot out of his current employer, Dr Drakken.

"Pass. I'd rather see how it plays out."

He returned his attention to the battling women. "Maybe I should kill them both now?" he mused as Shego raised her palm and launched a bolt of plasma. Kim had been charging, just over two metres away and closing. It was too late to change her momentum. The moment her opponents palm raised Kim was left with only risky options open. Desperate instinct took over. She forward flipped over the bolt, stretching out her leg on the way down to impact on Shego's forehead.

The plasma bolt burned a hole in the building exterior.

"I'll wait until they wear each other out," Du decided.

...

James Possible straddled villainous Drakken and rained punches until his knuckles hurt. Drakken's glasses had long since been knocked away. His nose was bleeding and a bruise ha formed over his left eye.

"Try to hurt my family…. Blow up my town…. For what?"

He demanded answers in between pants of air. He did not expect answers. Not until after Drakken was beaten into submission anyway. Yelling demands was simply a method of focusing his anger.

Drakken caught the James latest punch, gripping his fist. Air was starting to return to his lungs, adrenaline to his muscles and hate to his heart.

"To destroy you," he rasped, "destroy Middleton; destroy every memory of this miserable place."

His other arm shot out and gripped the back of James head, pulling down while he own launched his head forward. Their clash of brilliant minds was reduced to a clunk of think skulls.

James pulled back. Drakken pulled a leg back and kicked him off.

"You idiot. You think I didn't learn a few things about pain during my time with WE?"

James threw his fist at Drakken's jaw. The evil doctor took it with a grunt, returning the blow with one of his own and smacking James in the ear. Their battle devolved into a brawl; gripping each other by the shoulders, wrestling, gouging, kicking. Drakken managed to lose an arm, cuff James across the forehead and throw the brilliant scientist off.

"I will destroy everyone that ever tormented me. Everything I was ever denied. When I'm finished only Drakkenville will remain to rise from the ashes."

He snapped his fingers. His henchmen responded instantly to his call, forming up behind him, standing ready to tear the cause of their master's ire to shreds.

James was forced to run. He picked Ron off the floor and dragged him toward the nearest corridor exit. The boy ran stiffly, holding his still hurting gut. But he ran. He also noted the bench with Kim's equipment on top was roughly in their path and a slight plan formed.

He momentarily resisted James, pulling him in a roundabout route back to grab the Kimmunicator and hairdryer, disengaging the grapple cord as he did so. Last he reached for Kim's equipment belt with extra grapples and other projectices tied to it. The leather almost escaped his grasp when James tugged him away. He managed to hold on by the skin of his fingertips while James dragged him toward the closet corridor running off from the mixing room.

Drakken observed their retreat. He made a decision in cold fury.

"William."

Du was still enjoying the fierce battle between young Possible and Shego. Even taking a seat on a nearby work bench. He did not immediately answer Drakken

"DU!"

"_Drakken_!" Du shot back indignantly. He pointed at the catfight. His face read '_are you serious? I'm watching this_?'

"Quit gawking. Return her father and the boyfriend to _me_."

"Why should I? If you had _listened_ to me in the first place…."

"I did not state the condition they had to be in."

Du readily understood Drakken's threatening overtures. He had a free hand. Without even a second glace at the female grudge match he hastened after the fleeing men.

"The rest of you," Drakken addressed his men. "I had _five_ Possibles. I only count two, not including the spare."

Henchmen spread out to comb the lair.

"My lair is infested with Possibles," he grumbled.

...

Anne felt terrible leaving her family, and Ron who was practically family, to face Drew's thugs. Nevertheless all of them had agreed. Whatever the risks, Drew could not be allowed to detonate his warhead in Middleton. So while Kim, Ron and James provided a distraction, she was to lead her ingenious twin boys through the windowless complex until they reached the outside. Once free they would sabotage Drew's only apparent transportation, one dual rotor Chinook helicopter parked outside Drakken main toxin operation building.

It stood before her now. The warhead was already on board. The helicopter was ready and waiting to deliver its cargo of death.

"Wow!"

"What do you want to do?" Tim asked his brother.

"We could take the rotor blades off?"

"Cut the hydraulics?"

"Remove the control stick and pedals?"

"We could fly this back to Middleton," Tim reasoned. "Pick up Dad, Kim and Ron…."

"Just the sabotage will do boys," Anne said.

"Look, weapons!"

In side the helicopter, the boys immediately gravitated to the weapons rack. Plasma rifles, staff weapons and smaller stun batons. All charged and neatly packaged in rows.

"Hicka-bicka Boo!"

"Hoosha!"

Jim reached for one of the rifles. Anne held his outstretched hand and refused to let go until she had given her motherly commands.

"No weapons. No flying. Just make sure the whirly bird plummets."

Disappointed, the boys entered the cockpit to begin their work. Anne gave the weapon cache one last look, eyeing a stun baton. Checking to see if the boys were looking, she removed on from the rack and placed it in her skirt waist, hidden by her jersey.

"Finder's keepers."

Next Anne gave the warhead her appraisal, noting the wiring running back and forth between it and a small laptop. She considered the timer on the screen.

"Boys? Can we rewire this too?"

...

"Hey, that blonde? Follows you like a puppy? Is he, like, your boyfriend?"

"No."

"Oh, so he's '_just a friend'_? Is he available?"

Fighting Shego was like playing a deadly game of tag. With both her clawed hands channelling green plasma near misses became scorch marks on her arms! Kim's impressive repertoire of blocks, deflections and counters were limited against an opponent with molten hands capable of burning through steel. If in the act of turning Shego away at the forearm the villainess reversed her strike.... If Kim were to be tagged, just once….

Fighting Shego was also a test of mental dicipline and wit. She seemed to delight in verbal jests designed to distract or anger her target. Lucky for Kim, Joe was the same. Verbal threats she could handle, even dish twice as hard.

"You should see the animal he keeps in his pants. He calls it Rufus."

"_Ouh_, spunky cheerleader. Not going to save you today."

Kim did not let herself be tagged. She worked a strategy of keep away to the best of her agility; giving ground, sidestepping, jumping out of the way. Opposite her, Shego was immensely enjoying herself. The cat suited vixen playing with her prey, not allowing Kim to plant her feet for more than a second before threatening her with another deadly slash capable of tearing a person in half.

"Feeling the heat, Princess?"

"I might if you could ever hit me."

"As if you're throwing any punches! Come on cup-cake, give me a challenge."

Kim could still rely on the length and power of her legs as the only means of counter attack. Another slash. Shego was throwing too much of her weight behind each strike. She was off balance for a moment each time, her centre of gravity too far forward. It was a tiny opening, yet Kim could seize upon it and use it.

Kim lashed out; catching Shego's lower body with twin quick succession blows. Shego slashed again, this time noticably slower. Kim slipped around her defences and, using her shin, hammered Shego in her thigh.

Shego gave ground, taking a step back….

"Spunky? Your insults are as sloppy as your…."

… and butterfly kicked, twisted her whole body in mid-air; an amazing display of gymnastics. Kim was caught off guard. Twin blows to her shoulder and chest battered her aside.

Landed with her legs stretched out, split position, Shego arched her back and stretched. Her position on the ground left her extremly vulnerable. Yet she was wholly unconcerned with this fact. She displayed nothing less than supreme confidence as she caught Kim's eye and licked the index finger on her left claw with delight.

The flashy display of a butterfly kick was an unnecessary waste of energy. Kim gleaned from her opponets attitude that was the entire point. Shego had chosen such an exotic attack to prove that she could. Show off without fear of Kim capitlizing.

Kim was fighting a creature on a whole other ability level to anything she had fought in the past.

Shego taunted her younger foe using her sensual vocal abilities. "It's about time you used the opening I left you Princess. I was beginning to worry miss goody strawberries didn't want to hurt me."

"I so do."

Shego played with her bottom lip. "_Mmm_…."

* * *

Part B up very soon.


	13. Ch 11B: Heroes

Author's Note: "_The Roof. The Roof. The Roof is on Fire_!"

**Waterloo by ABBA**

* * *

"Why didn't I read Wade's instructions for this thing?! They were illustrated!"

Cradling the hairdryer under his arm and Kim's equipment belt slung over his shoulder, Ron played with the Kimmunicator while running for his life. Thus far the device was incomprehensible to him.

World renowned, famous (currently infamous) rocket scientist Dr James Possible offered to help. "You know, I could probably…."

A high pitched siren exploded in their ears. Ron had activated a defence mechanism of a sort. Both fleeing captives immediately stopped running to hold their hands over their ears. James ripped the offending device from Ron's and shut it off.

"I think I should carry this."

Rubbing his ears Ron shouted, "Barry who?"

James pulled Ron into a run again. "I think this way looks familiar!" he remarked, pointing to a junction ahead.

Ron thought he meant to the right when he fact James pointed to the left. They collided in the middle. Being larger than the sixteen year old, James won out. His mass bounced Ron in his intended direction, a side corridor which ended in a heavy hatch door.

Ron pushed past Dr Possible to pull on the door handle. When it didn't budge he took the time to hook Kim's equipment belt around his waist and clip the hairdryer to it in order to free up his hands. Spitting in his cupped hands and rubbing them together for grip, Ron seized the handle again and pulled with all his might. For extra leverage Ron even placed a foot against the wall. Next he tried both feet.

The door still would not budge. Not before Ron's own grip failed and he fell backward. "Ow!"

He removed a pointed grapple from behind his back. "Little help?"

James played with the Kimmunicator, investigating its functions and attempting to contact the outside world. Without looking up he supplied, "Did you spin the locking valve?" referring to the steering wheel looking thing attached to the hatch door.

"Oh…. Yeah, because the door won't open without the… _he-he_, yeah."

He spun the valve. The hatch door pened with ease allowing both men to step inside….

To be confronting the most astonishing damn sight either had ever known. James had to stop playing with Kimmunicator. He couldn't get over his disbelief.

Kim's entire high school cheerleading squad locked up in cold damp cages deep in the heart of Dr Drakken's lair. The girls had mostly been trying to stave off boredom with games or trying to invent methods of escape. Unexpected visitors elicited (mostly) jubilees shouts.

"_Help Us_!"

"_Ron_?"

"_Kim's Dad_!"

"_Mr Possible_!"

"_Ron_!"

James studied the cages, "Oh right! That's why this corridor looked familiar."

"_Mole Rat Boy_?!" Bonnie's outraged quip drowned out the shout of the other girls. "Mole Rat Boy is here to save us? You're _all_ we rate?! Were the Secret Service busy?"

"Eh? Oh, no of course not. We never called them. We just came ourselves."

"You idiot."

Monique pushed Bonnie away from the bars, hoping to turn the conversation in a more constructive direction.

"W-T-F Ron! What-The Fuck-is going on?!"

"This is a dead end Ron," James noted.

"I'm sorry, I want to explain but we have to escape…."

"_You_ have to escape?"

"We're being chased," Ron exclaimed. "I _promise_ I'll come back to save you."

Both of them reluctantly turned deaf ears to the following series of appeals and pleas, some girls reaching out through the bars toward them. Amelia and Monique called for Ron to "Let us out! We can help you," or even just demanding, "_Stoppable_, you open these cages this instant!"

James placed his hand on Ron's shoulder and guided him away. They shut the hatch behind them to cover their tracks.

"_I told Drakken I had your family covered_…."

Ron and James spun to face their hunter. Global Justice Agent William Du, turncoat enforcer for nefarious Dr Drakken. In his hands was a plasma rifle, barrle extended and armed. A single plasma blot raced past James Possible's head. It skimmed close by his greying hair, too close for comfort, and impacted on the hatch door behind him where it partially melted the heavy steel door. Instinct saw James duck, crouching low on the ground. The young agent was all confidence.

"But Drakken sent in his bulldogs before he ever thought to consult with me. Those henchmen have their uses; taking care of political opponents, breaking a few eggheads, stealing nuclear warheads. Programmed loyalty and obedience down to a fault. But the imagination side…?"

He tapped his forehead.

"I suppose they were trained with redundancy mind, not subtly. Put the phone down and slide it forward. Same deal with the hairdryer."

Cornered and out-plasma-ed, Ron and Dr Possible had little choice. They could only hope the boys sabotage mission could stall Drakken long enough for real Global Justice agents to track down this facility and shut this terrible operation down. James placed the Kimmunicator on the floor and slid it forward. Ron unhooked the hairdryer and did the same. Each raised their arms and submitted. It was over.

Du shook his head. "Not going to be that easy fellas'," he said. "Drakken said I can return you in any condition. I take his meaning to include dead."

"You could also take his meaning to be alive and unharmed...." James ventured. Ron chipped in with, "And manicured…. And alive."

"I choose to take it as dead," Du reaffirmed. "I'll consider the manicure."

"How about manicured, beaten to a pulp, and alive?"

"No."

"_What would Captain Constellation do know_?" James asked himself. He whispered to Ron, "_What's his name_?"

"_Will_."

"I don't get it Will. You're a young man…."

"You're a top GJ agent. You work directly for Dr Director herself!"

"I can understand Drew. He has a lot to be angry about. His life never went to plan, but you? What terrible event did the world have in store for you to - to make you feel you have to obliterate a homely, friendly, peaceful community?"

"It didn't do anything. I just enjoy it."

It was so casual. No shame. No pride. Just a shrug. The answer you might give when questioned why you like peanut butter on your sandwiches. '_I just enjoy it_.' James and Ron exchanged worried glances. '_We're in trouble_.'

"Surely you must have a reason?" James persisted. "A grudge? A long term goal?"

"_Power_," Du suggested sarcastically.

Ron considered his answer. "Oh! I get it now."

"You get what?"

"Power. I get it. I know why you're working for Drakken. I understand why you betrayed GJI."

William eyed Ron with suspicion. He suspected the boy was simply claiming he did, trying to bluff him and earn a few more minutes breathing sweet life because of it. Although he did seem quietly confident. Will wondered, just for an instant, how transparent his motives were. If this boy could see through him, could Dr Director?

He put the question out of his mind upon reminding himself this boy was an idiot.

"In the short time I have, unfortunately, known you, you haven't understood a God damn thing. What makes you think you have _me_ figured out?"

"Traitors. Its easy, look: money, blackmail, fanatical loyalty, power." He listed the four reasons for turning traitor on his fingers, somehow coming to five. "You want a spot in the other side's power structure. More authority than you have currently."

"If that's the case he could have chosen a better outfit," James commented. "Working with Drew has got to be a step backward from GJ Agent."

"Maybe he thought Drakken was still working for WE?"

"Ouch. Big blunder there! Giving up GJ to join Drew's merry men."

"SHUT UP!"

Du shot a bolt of plasma into the ceiling to ensure he had their attention.

"You morons have no idea the complexity of my plans. You're can't think any bigger than Drakken and his shitty _Drakkenville_ plot. I'm not looking trade in Global Justice Initiative for WE; I want control of _both_! Global domination!"

"Drakken is _my_ informant. He's been supplying me with dirt on imperial activities for years and I've ridden the golden elevator to the top ranks of GJI with scoops on imperial fronts, targets, weapons developments; until I have the ear of the Director herself. Until I'm a few short steps away from _being_ the Director. And when the time is right I'll achieve the same with World Empire by delivering to Drakken and Shego to Gemini."

"Too bad for you, I can't let you or your family live with knowledge of my true intentions." Du finished.

James smirked. "Rockets are GO! You think we have enough evidence Wade?"

"Excuse me Agent Du," Wade spoke up through the Kimmunicator speakers. "I'm holding an urgent call for you from Global Justice Initiative Headquarters. Dr Director would like to speak to you regarding your future employment with GJI."

"_Booyah_!"

"Or if you'd prefer I could arrange for you to talk to her in person. Her quick response unit will be arriving in 40 seconds."

"Say," James said to Ron, "how did you get this thing to…?"

"Oh! Like this." Ron reached out and pounded his fist on Kimmunicator buttons. Once again a terrible siren drilled into their heads. Du dropped his plasma weapon from the shock of having his ears burst and his brain fry.

Head throbbing, Ron barely managed to keep his mind on track. His only advantage over Du was that he knew the siren had been coming, and it was barely an advantage. Intense willpower kept him from covering his ears or smashing the Kimmunicator. Instead he reached for the hairdryer. On Kim's belt were a series of small black balls, roughly golf ball sized though made of hard rubber. The sort used in the game of squash. Ron loaded one into the barrel of the hairdryer.

Du remained a dangerous opponent even with his head of the verge of exploding. He was too well trained to focus on the pain. He was raising his wristwatch for a paralysis strike the moment Ron moved.

Ron managed to fire first. The squash ball impacted against Du's jaw and bounced off. The force knocked Du flat. He was almost knocked out of the park for six. His cheek stung as if he'd been hit with a air-rifle. He had to fight against the desire to close his eyes and submit to darkness. Du forced himself to sit. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ron loaded the hairdryer with several more projectiles.

Drakken's plot was a bust. Du's treachery was exposed. Betty Director herself was be on her way. An unholy siren devastated his eardrums and he was about to be shot to pieces with little rubber balls. Agent Du made the decision to call it a day. He would deal with Possibles next time.

Rising to his feet was an intense mission. The siren ripped his ears apart and killed his balance. More than once he relied on the corridor wall in his attempt to stumble away.

Ron was reluctant to just let him escape, though his own balance, vision and concentration were also being hammered by the siren. He shot seven squash balls after Du, only one impacted before the bastard was around the corner and was gone. It stuck him in the kidney area, and Ron hoped it enough to convince Du not to change his mind and return.

...

The henchman in the tower watching the road picked up his radio to check in. Immediately afterward he turned about, scanning the inside of Drakken's compound. More henchmen emerged from the warehouse mixing floor.

"They couldn't have gotten far! Split up and check the forest edge. Someone retrieve the dirt bikes."

Anne crouched behind the co-pilots seat in the helicopter. She watched them spread out over the compound, likely searching for her and the boys.

"Does that mean they got Kim & Dad…?"

"And Ron and Rufus?"

"I hope not," Anne replied. She shuffled around in her seat to observe the boys at work. "How's it going?"

"We've cut the pedal hydraulic lines so the helicopter isn't escaping."

"The computer we've rewired for a surprise the moment someone tries to activate…."

Jim stopped when they heard movement outside the rear of the aircraft. He and his brother buried themselves in the pilot seat. Anne risked a small peak over the chair shoulder.

A henchman boarded the craft. His boots echoed in the metal cavern, sending shivers up their spines. He began pulling various weapons from the rack and passing them out to the others. One guy on a dirt bike skidded to a stop before the cargo hatch and caught a staff. Spinning it experimentally with one hand he gunned for the forest.

When they were all armed, the henchman picked up the last plasma rifle and prepared to join his buddies in the search for the escaped Possibles when he happened to note something odd. The laptop wired to the bomb's control panel was not sitting in its asigned place. Instead, wiring extending from the bomb ran across the helicopter in a line to the cockpit and the pilot seat. Someone had moved the laptop forward and was now, presumably attempting to mess with Dr Drakken's programming..

He hit a button on the side of the egg shaped rifle. The weapon unfolded, extending a barrel and stock. A purple light in the centre of the gun indicated it was charged and ready. Carefully he advanced along the helicopter cargo area to the pilot seat, weapon leading.

Anne leaned back from behind the co-pilot's chair and jabbed the stun prodder she had liberated into the man's groin. He yelped in pain and pitched over.

His painful cry did not go unnoticed. Henchmen who weren't already deep in the jungle changed direction and moved back toward the chopper. Anne told her boys to open the pilot side door and run, opening her's to do the same. Too late. The moment her feet hit the dirt one of the thugs threw her to the ground and told her to stay there. He kicked her weapon away. Around the other side of the chopper Anne heard her boys cry out as the same probably befall them too. She tried to yell to them. Tell them it was alright. She was slapped for the effort.

Then, mysteriously and without warning, she was released. The henchman who had hit here took several paces back, looking to his cohorts for a sign of what to do. One or two began to break off and head for the forest. Than the rest, either running back inside the building or following into the brush. Anne was flushed. Her cheeks were red, aside from stating the check where she had been slapped was red and stung like hell. As anxious as she felt being captured by the trained killers, she couldn't shake the feeling trained killers running should be equally concerning.

She didn't understand until one of her boys shouted, "look!" from the other side of the helicopter.

Appearing over the mountain range were a duo of raptor fighters and a further dozen Blackhawk helicopters.

Leading the charge was a highly futuristic appearing VTOL craft marked UNGJI.

...

Agent Du emerged from the facility and collapsed to his knees. The throbbing within his head was still kicking the crap out of him from the inside out. Now natural light assaulted his senses. It took a second to rise to his feet again and raise his gaze higher than his feet. When he did, he noted the oddity that was henchmen running from twin ten year olds. On any day he might have called them cowards but after witnessing the capabilities of the older sister can do and getting his ass handed to him by a moron….

Crucial seconds went by before he deduced the true reason for their desertion.

"Ah, crap," he cursed, sighting the GJ assault craft incoming.

Resolve to escape and reap revenge gave Will the strength to rise to his feet. He ran for the chopper, frightening off the lesser Possibles with an angry growl. They willingly backed away from the helicopter. Boarding by the open rear hatch, Du threw the nuclear weapon out. It would cover his escape. Fishing the laptop from the pilot seat he set the timer to give him a mere seven minutes. Perhaps not enough time to escape the blast, though he needed to cut it close if this weapon were to knock out his pursuers. If he were caught in it, at least he could be sure of taking Dr Director and the Possibles with him. It would be a worthy trade.

He hit activate button.

10, 9, 8, 7....

Du rapidly tapped the cancel button"_No, no, no, no, no_…!"

3, 2, 1….

…

"_Waterloo - I was defeated, you won the war.__  
Waterloo - promise to love you for ever more.  
Waterloo – couldn__'__t escape if I wanted to.  
Waterloo - knowing my fate is to be with you.  
Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Waterloo - finally facing my waterloo."_

…

"**FUCK!"**

Du smashed the laptop and ran to the pilot seat. Ignoring proper start-up procedure he had the machine in the air inside of a minute.

Anne Possible considered her boys. "I thought I told you to stop the helicopter from leaving the ground," she chided.

"No. You said to make sure the whirly bird plummets."

Du had no control once he was off the ground. The pedals, which controlled turning, would not respond while the stick vibrated dangerously in his hands. Willaim Du was as excellent a pilot as they come, but even he could not fly a brick. He was putting the bird down again the hard way.

The craft hit skimmed the tree tops and come down on its side, rotors tearing at the trees until they finally shattered.

...

Kim leaned back. Green flashed by uncomfortably close to her nose.

She had gone back too far. The laws of gravity said she had to fall over now unless she could grab onto something. She reached up and caught Shego by the forearm to steady herself. For bonus points she kicked Shego in the knee at the same time. Off balance as she was, Kim was unable to put much power behind it. It was a small victory, yet any damage she could inflict was satisfying.

The other claw came around. Kim caught this one by the forearm too. Big mistake.

The villainesses' response was to run, up Kim, literally as if she were a stepladder; stomping on her chin, back flipping and throwing Kim across the room.

The majesty of her agility was lost on Kim. In fact, Kim failed to register the entire sequence of events. All she knew, one moment she was there, fighting Shego hand to hand, now she was here, upside down against a pallet of plastic drums. Several tipped over and rolled away. Green liquid spilled out.

"Careful princess," Shego advised. "You don't want any of that to get on you. Drakken uses it in his deadly little cocktail."

The arsenic and poison labelling clued Kim in to as much. She was quick to stand up and avoid the slowly expanded puddle. Some of the substance got on the heel of her boots and a tinge of it on the hem of her pants, giving them a green hue. She guessed/hoped she was safe so long as the chemical was not ingested and she washed sooner rather than later. Then again, with the chemicals Drakken was playing with who knew?

"You didn't happen to take a bath in it? I wouldn't want to be stuck with your complexion."

"Hey, if you don't want some free advice I won't bother warning you next time."

There was distance between herself and Shego now. Distance from those plasma claws. Kim had breathing space although Shego wasn't likely to allow her it for long.

"This isn't working," Kim admitted to herself. "I need to think of something else."

She looked around. It was time to start using her environment, making use of what was available.

The massive mixing vats with the tower in between them.

The crane.

Various work tools spread across the workbenches around the room.

A small electric forklift.

Pallets with drums, sacks and crates of Drakken's ingredients for the RF cocktail.

"Don't want to rush back into things cheerleader? Am I, _2-Much-4-U_?"

"Your B.O. is. I mean look, it's forming a green haze around your hands."

Kim was inspired by the green puddle extending from the tipped over drums. A simplistic, desperate plan formed and she dashed for the forklift. Shego formed a ball of plasma energy in her hands and threw it as if playing baseball. She wasn't even trying especially hard to hit Kim. The game was too much fun.

"Hot potato. Two potato. Three potato. Four!"

Sacks of mixing powder exploded. Crates filled with building supplies showered screws, nuts, bolts and various tools. The floor melted at Kim's feet.

Drakken approached Shego, miffed over the destruction. "Must you destroy my lair? Do I break your things when I'm having fun?"

"Relax cry-baby. We have plenty more ingredients in the mine. Enough to decontaminate, or exterminate, everything in the state." She threw an additional ball despite him. A diesel drum spilled and caught fire.

Kim jumped into the small forklift. The keys were still in the ignition. Drakken clearly wasn't concerned about thievery so deep in the mountain range. She turned it starting the electric motors. At sixteen, Kim was not yet aquatinted with complexities of driving. Fortunately her idea didn't require finesse. Just forward motion. The accelerator did _not_ give her forward motion. She gripped the gear stick beside the seat and pushed it forward for go. The forks attacted to the front of the machine dropped, hitting the floor with a bang.

"Oh, um…. _Fudge_!"

Another quick examination revealed the stick labelled forward.

The forks scrapped along the ground making a horrible racket, but she was moving. Pulling back on the stick she had messed with before raised the forks off the ground. Kim levelled off at waist height.

Shego did not even bother moving as Kim lined her up.

"Please? She really thinks she can run me down with a forklift?"

"I'm going to stand over there," Drakken advised her.

"You do that."

Drakken retreated. Kim picked up speed. Shego stood her ground.

Last moment before impact Shego pounced. She leapt atop a fork and began dismantling the cab, shearing off the entire structure with her claws. Kim didn't wait around to be next. She jumped from the vehicle, as did Shego.

"Missed me."

"Wasn't aiming for you."

Shego spun, studying the forklifts trajectory. The **RF-16** tank.

"_Stop it_!" Drakken ordered.

Shego cupped her hands and formed an energy blast large enough to destroy the forklift. Kim attacked her from behind, stomping on the backside of her knee so that it caved in and karate chopping the back of her neck. The blast went way wide, impacting on a wielding gas bottle instead. An explosive fireball rocked the room, throwing Kim, Shego and Drakken off balance. The shock wave impacted negatively on the warehouse ceiling. It buckled further. Small holes revealed the blue sky while pieces of metal began to rain down.

"_No_! That is, like, the exact opposite of what I said to do!"

Iron bars holding up the ceiling buckled. The remaining ventilation shaft pieces detached and tumbled down. At the same time the forklift struck home. The tank was ruptured. Deadly **RF-16** toxin was released into the warehouse. Due to the elastic nature of the substance it was slow to advance. The pace of an ant. Though it was a relentless advance and the slightest drop could be fatal.

Shego wasn't playing anymore.

She wheeled on Kim, alternating attacks on an unpredictable basis between vicious slashes, powerful kicks and everything in between. Her energy was limitless. Her style was all out aggression. Kim was forced into rapid retreat, stepping back as fast as she could without losing her balance while parrying the blows that she could. Her desperate defence could only ever have gained her a few precious extra seconds. It required her full concentration just to sort Shego's feints from real attacks. Beyond everything she had to give. She had no idea what she was stepping onto behind her.

She tripped on a metal rod from the ceiling. Small bits of metal dug into her back as she fell though it was not her biggest problem. Her bigger problem was she could not roll out of the wreckage. A flaming plasma fist was raised above her head, poised to strike.

"You're shish-kebab."

Instead it was Shego who yelped in pain.

The little pain in the backside, Rufus, was – well, being a little pain in the backside. Her twin sets of teeth, designed for borrowing through the African soil, now borrowed into different soft tissue.

It was a heartbeats distraction, a few more spare seconds of life. Kim did not waste them. She raised both legs and kicked Shego back.

The force of the blow had Shego reeling and dislodged Rufus. The poor little creature held her jaws with tiny paws.

"(OW! _I hink ou oke a ooth_)!"

Shego still recovered faster than Kim, twisting about before the cheerleader could get to her feet. Kim was in trouble and once again it was Rufus who provided the solution.

During the battle she had collected the lip gloss container, the one she had failed to open previously, and dutifully spent the last five minutes nudging it across the floor toward Kim. It was a frustrating job trying to keep up with the wild speed of the human combatants. Every time she had come close they had failed to spot her.

Kim saw her now. Rufus gave the lip gloss one last nudge in Kim's direction while Kim, in turn, dove for it. Holding her breath she undid the child proof cap and threw the container at Shego.

Shego gasped when the make-up container struck her, chocking on the fumes it realised. She was quick to destroy the simple container with her plasma, remembering the lipstick example. Too late. Wade's special powder formed a cloud all over her. Her plasma claws powered down as she rapidly lost the ability to stay awake.

"wha…?" was all she managed to utter before pitching forward. Shego was out cold before she hit the ground. Kim had stood toe to toe with the most feared warrior in the world and won.

...

The roof pitched violently once more. Metal rods and sheets of corrugated iron fell into the mixing tanks while a larger steel beam dented the side of the **RF-78** tank. The metal bent out of shape and pin hole leaks began to appear. Deadly **RF-16** was already leaking from forklift punctures while Shego's plasma bursts had started a fire, rapidly spreading as the fuel drums rolled around, spilling their contents.

"I managed to beat your super powered girlfriend, Uncle Drew, and now your lair is falling down around you. Are you ready to admit I can do anything yet?"

Drakken studied Shego, unconscious from the effects of Wade's knock out powder. His favoured enforcer defeated. He was speechless. As lost as Bambi expecting his mother to rise any second now. He did not comprehend he had been beaten.

"Would you care to surrender now? I'll bring you lollipops in prison."

Drakken's lips formed a snarl. When he raised his eyes gaze to meet Kim's eyes there was a frightening dark glint to them. Kim had never seen such fury before.

Three henchmen ran into the room each carrying staff weapons. "Boss! Its Global Justice sir, they…."

Still snarling, Dr Drakken snatched the man's weapon and advanced on Kim. Untrained in the use of the long rod weapon with electrical zappers on either end, he simply got a good grip and swung it like a golf club. It was with the greatest ease that Kim jumped over his blow, stepping on Drakken's head and leaping. She rotated in the air, sweeping her foot around and kicking the largest of the henchmen. To handle the others she crouched low, bowling each over with a sweeping kick.

"_Get her_!" Drakken ordered.

The three henchmen leapt back to their feet and attacked Kim with their staffs and their bare hands. After Shego these clumsy oafs were a piece of cake.

In the middle of her melee a charged electrical bolt almost took her head off. The henchmen, equally surprised, drew back. Kim glanced along the bolts trajectory to its origin. Drakken was holding his staff level like a rifle. She hadn't realised the weapons could fire projectiles too!

The henchmen attempted to take advantage of her sudden lack of concentration, swiping at her again. Kim leapt over their attacks and back flipped away. More bolts fired by Drakken forced her to retreat even further.

"Spread out! Keep her contained" he ordered.

It was then Kim realised his game. Drakken was launching bolt after bolt not at her, but before her. Driving her back. A glaze over her shoulder revealed why. She was being forced back into the advancing **RF-16**. In front of her were Drakken and his men. Her wing was closed in by the **RF-78** tank. The circle around her was closing.

Another series of electrical bolts threatened her toes, forcing Kim to shuffle back further.

Unable to go forward. Unable to go back. Unable to go to the side.

"_Kim_!"

Ron ran forward, firing the last squash balls from the hairdryer. The hard rubber balls bruised the back of a henchman's head, drawing his attention. He reversed his staff to target the charging boy. Acting fast Kim picked up a fallen piece of metal from and heaved it. It stuck the length of the staff, throwing the bolt off just very slightly to explode beside the boy. Ron did not vary his pace in the slightest.

Ron reloaded the hairdryer, this time with a grapple off the equipment belt, lodging it in the barrel as he ran. He hurdled over a crate and leapt onto the treads of the crane, throwing the hairdryer with everything he had. His pitch was a little high. Kim compensated by back flipping, twisting in mid air to catch the device. Her feet touched the ground and she was already fitting the cord reel into the winch fixed into the body of the device. Like all good Wade designs it was quick to slot in and ready to rock & roll.

Can't go forward, back or sideways? Go up. She shot the grapple at the mixing tower above her. It held fast to a steel rail. Kim hit the winch and was propelled toward the ceiling.

"Is she related to Batman?" a henchman asked.

Drakken did not bothering answering. He raised his staff, firing bolt after bolt after his teenaged foe to little effect. The girl was out of his effective range, smoke from the rapidly expanding fire obscured his view and she was taking cover on the tower platforms. He would never strike her at this angle.

"Dr Drakken sir! It's pointless to pursue…."

Drakken did anyway. He skirted around the expansive edge of the toxin and began to climb the tower. Unwilling to follow the henchmen turned tail to make good their escape.

...

"Kim!" Ron yelled with everything in his lungs. He feared he could not be heard over the roar of the growing fire.

"_Ron, get out of here_!"

Her voice was faint. She was such a long way up.

"Not without you!"

"_GO_!"

Rufus tugged on Ron's pants, squealing they had to leave but he ignored her.

"No!"

Another steel girder tore free from the roof. It impacted against the **RF-78** tank, shearing through the top half. The liquid escaped in a wave. The fire was the last straw, the building was coming down.

**RF-78** washed over Ron's shins like a river. He didn't care. He wouldn't have cared if it was the toxic mix. He wasn't leaving Kim behind.

He heard a cough to his right. Shego was face down in the liquid. Desperately Ron looked from her to Kim.

"_Snap_!"

Ron had a choice. He could let the cruel villainess drown and try to help Kim. It was no choice at all, Ron could not leave her to drown no matter what she was. Rufus clung to the thigh of his pants, avoiding the blue river below her tail. Ron placed her in the safety of his pocket and hurried over to Shego. He would move her to safety first, then return for Kim.

...

Drakken reached tower platform. Kim had reset her hairdryer grapple. Even without it she had her impressive martial art skills to call on. Nevertheless she backed away from Drakken across the T shaped structure, over the **RF-78** tank. Giant blenders stirred up a blue ocean below her. There was nowhere left to run.

"Come on Uncle Drew. You don't want to do this. I _know_ you don't want to do this."

It was becoming difficult to speak. Black smoke billowed from the fire below and even the large hole in the roof above failed to ventilate it all.

"Because Possible's know everything, don't they?"

"_Can_ do anything. That includes saving you. Just take my hand. I'll swing us down and we can escape together. "

"Save me?" Drakken howled with laughter. "You think you're all that, don't you? Kim Possible, invincible and noble super heroine, so virtuous the wicked are humbled by her generosity. _Sorry_, but you're not even close."

"Aren't I? You let me to escape the space centre Uncle Drew. You kept my family here, captive, instead of leaving us to die without warning in a nuclear blast. And I couldn't help but notice Shego could have killed me any time."

"I made a promise once to your father. I vowed to do everything in my power to protect you."

Drakken levelled his staff, ready to blast Kim.

"I'm sick of living up to the promises of Drew Lipsky."

Kim used the guard rail to direct her attack. She leapt over the side and, using her grip on the rail, swung back around. An outstretched foot kicked the staff out of Drakken's hands. The villain stumbled backward, tripping on scrap metal from the ceiling. His black gloves barely caught the underside of the platform as he fell over the guard rail.

Kim leaned under the guard rail and stretched out her hand.

"I've got you! Take my hand!"

Drakken's already pale face was white now. He clung to the platform with both hands, refusing to let go.

"Give me your hand! Uncle Drew, give me your hand!"

Terrified, Drakken shock his head. "Get Shego!"

"I can't! Give me your hand, I can save you!"

"SHEGO!"

...

Ron turned Shego over, keeping her head above the liquid. Still, he wasn't sure she was breathing. He didn't really know how to check and she had been under for so long. Terrible scenarios raced through his mind.

He made a decision to do something he loathed and would probably regret the rest of his life. Cringing as he took several deep breaths, he leaned forward and unenthusiasticly breathed into her mouth, sharing oxygen.

"(_On no you didn't! She tried to slice & dice your mate dude_!)"

No response. Ron cursed. He was going to have to do it again. The mere thought of it had Ron winching and whining. He was completely and utterly an unwilling participant in this life saving exercise. Do not belittle Ron Stoppable's manly instincts, he was _very_ aware how attractive this women he held in his arms and the mouth to mouth contact. How other men might envy him. He also happened to be all too aware of the beating he was likely to receive if Shego did happen to wake up, or if Kim learned of this.

"This would be so cool if she wasn't going to hurt me."

He took a deep breath and repeated the exercise. He had half deflated his lungs when Shego reacted.

Ron knew the moment her eyes shot open. He could look forward to immense pain in his future. Shego kneed him in the crotch, hard.

Allowing the boy to keel over, Shego surveyed the situation. Fire, toxin spill, collapsing roof; events had rapidly turned against Drakken during her naptime.

"SHEGO!"

The plea for help came from high above. Dr Drakken swayed in midair, desperately clutching the underside of the tower platform and was in danger of plummeting into the **RF-78** tank. He could barely be seen through the smoke. She wavered, unsure if she should help him or not.

A steel girder collapsing into the deadly **RF-16** tank and tearing it open to decid the matter.

"Later, Dr Do Nothing." She gave him a final quick salute before running for the door. Ron tried to go the opposite direction, toward Kim. In gratitude for saving her life Shego was good enough the club him over the head and drag his ass outside.

"Come on dufus! Gotta go!"

...

"Shego! Get back here or I'm negating the real-estate promises in your contract!"

Drakken didn't know what to do. Shego had abandoned him. Kim still urged him to reach up for her hand but he couldn't do it. He couldn't let go or he would fall. He couldn't hang around for much longer either. He had to make a decision.

He reached for her hand.

The piping he was holding onto slipped.

"Uncle Drew!"

Drakken plummeted, splashing into the **RF-78** formula below. He did not resurface.

Kim screamed.

The roof finally gave way completely. The building collapsed in on itself. The two mixing tanks were torn apart, releasing their respective RF formulas to mix and form a hybrid.

A large aircraft smashed through the roof. Stingray shaped, the UNGJI logo was painted on the side. Its rear hatch opened.

"Jump!" Betty Director urged.

The crane mast fell over, smashing into the mixing tower. The whole structure began to tilt, bucking Kim over the side. In midair she twisted, bringing her hairdryer grapple up and shooting it into the belly of the GJ craft. Dr Director and her agents grabbed hold of the cord while the pilot gunned the repulsor engines.

The cord tightened before Kim's feet dipped in the blue ocean below her. She was pulled to out of the fire.

One safe inside the craft Kim turned around to survey what else was happening outside. Her father led a disorientated troop of teenaged cheerleaders to the nearest Blackhawk where rangers helped them inside. Her mother, brothers and Ron were already aboard a chopper lifting off ahead of the tide of hybrid RF running down the mountain.

Rangers encircled Shego, weapons raised and safties off, ordering her to submit and lie flace down on the ground. The last three henchmen to escape Drakkan's mixing facility emerged from the dark silver mine entrance driving a green and black dune buggy. The rangers had to jump out of the way to avoid the monster machine as the driver aimed its bullbars at them. Shego leapt atop the back end as it speed past, firing plasma bolts for cover.

"Sorry boys. I'll let you cuff me later."

Blackhawks lifted off the deck. Those carrying the hostages were croweded with rangers hanging their feet out the side. Extra ammo crates and equipment was dumped to make room. Hey, they had been anticipating a fire fight with well armed professional mercenaries, not already escaped hostages and the need for a quick getaway.

Trees shed their leaves in the path of the hybrid RF. Low lying plants were smothered in the elastic formula and birds ahead of its path flew away. The runoff carved its why down the mountain like a silent lava trail. Instead of charred earth and fire it only left brown, dead plant life in its wake. It was Prypiat all over again, only this time there was an added danger. This time there were no barriers to prevent the toxin from entering the fast moving mountain waterways. Kim could see the devastation was going to be as bad, if not far worse than Prypiat.

"Don't worry Kim. We have a contingency in place," Betty assured her. "A second wave of fire-fighting aircraft loaded with Exit Mould will be making their run once we're clear. Local fire-fighter units and the national guard have also been scrambled to the scene. We were tipped off about Drakken's toxin production and how to counter it by the third member of your team."

"Who?"

"See for yourself."

A grey pick up Chevy emerged from the forest, barrelling over a bush. The windows were shot out, the rear bumper was missing and the wolverines running along the side were peppered with bullet holes. Still Joe's baby purred. More than that, it had its revenge. A mangeld dirt bike was still caught in the front bull bars.

"Open her up boys," Joe advised his passengers.

Two men exited the back seat in full chemical gear and climbed up on the back deck. There, they had fixed a large tank and pump system to the pick up, turning it into a mini firefighting unit. Now they sprayed the tank mixture over blue toxin, killing it.

More vehicles followed Joes pick up in, these ones looking more offical. Two SUVs vehicles marked witht the logo of the Middle Space Centre, the researchers hurridly collecting samples of the hybrid formula and dying plant life. A bulldozer which pilled up the earth to make barriers against the toxin and a rural fire engine. More people in full chemical gear joined the fight on the ground as the first helicopter bucket released its load above

"You got a fire engine up that mountain path?"

"Of course not. Drakken paved a nice flat road of his own leading up the mountain. How else was he going to deliver RF-78 from his factory?"

Chargined, Kim asked, "so Joe called in the cavalry when Ron and I got into trouble."

"He radioed in saying he'd captured three unpleasent men in the forest that matched the description of those that attacked the space centre," Betty clarified. "First we were tipped off about your headstrong action by a runaway and infamous hacker at the top of GJI's most wanted list. He gained notoriety by hacking into my _private_ files and posting abstracts over the web. Claims he grew concerned when he couldn't raise you on the '_Kimmunicator_' device he gave you. You're a smart girl Kim, you wouldn't knowingly consort with criminal elements, would you? "

Kim chose her words carefully. "Really? Top of GJI's most wanted list...? What does his parents have to say about this?"

"You mean Mr & Mrs Stoppable?"

"Excuse me, what happened to our hacker benefactor?"

A smirk that could only be described as evil formed on Betty's lips. Her usual motherly tone lowered and she clasped her hands together with excitement. Kim was faintly frightened. No, she was _very_ frightened. Dr Drakken had nothing on Dr Director in regards to intimidation.

"Oh, I _sooo_ have his delinquent ass in custody, surrounded by every police officer, ranger and Global Justice agent I could spare. In a building with all key locks, the phone lines ripped out, unauthorised wireless signals blocked and instructions to reconnect with the Kimmunicator or I'll permanently remove his ability to type."

Kim winced.

"I have a very apt punishment in mind for posting my diary on the web," Betty said dangerously. "How do you think a new family sounds?"

Kim was baffled. "New family?"

"Wade _Stoppable_ doesn't really work. So I talked to some agents of mine, Harvey and Regina Load. They always wanted a child, someone to share their passion for exercise and healthy eating with. They plan to welcome Wade into the family with a tramping expedition."

Comprehension sunk in. Kim mentally reviewed her first meeting with Wade just yesterday. The contents of Wade's fridge....

"I think you're evil and I'm glad you don't teach at my high school."

"Thank you."


	14. Epilogue

**Aurthor's Note**: Make sure to wait for the credits to end. I have a final surprise.

**Credit Song Choice**:** Just A Girl** by** No Doubt**

* * *

Epilogue….

**Kim Possible Movie Project**

They never recovered a body. Presumably it was still deep in the Middleton Mountain Range, buried under the rubble of his twisted dreams. Instead the casket was left open so that the few mourners gathered that sorrowful afternoon might place a memento inside. A ritual designed to play out the act of letting go.

Few people attended. Terrorists don't receive flashy funerals, just a hole in the ground. Drew's mother was there, weeping for the tragedy that was her son's life and tearfully saying goodbye to her precious '_Drewby_'. Joe was there too, holding her and retelling the tale of how Drew Lipsky had heroically risked his life to save another twelve years prior.

And the Possibles were there, supported by their friends the Stoppables. Even Uncle Larry, and Nana Possible who had made the trip from Florida alongside her old friend Maeve Lipsky. Nana found it difficult to reconcile the monster with the quiet boy who played '_Captain Constellation' _endlesslyalongside her son. James stood next to the casket with his wife Anne next to him, holding his hand. He solemnly placed their wedding photo, the one from their mantle. It lay next to the other items inside including a Captain Constellation action figure, a teddy bear, a space shuttle replica, Drew's PhD, Drew's glasses, a microphone plus a karaoke soundtrack and a bottle Exit Mould.

"Goodbye Drew."

Kim came forward next, supported by Ron. Out of a small backpack she pulled her closest link to the man she knew as Uncle Drew. Her Panderoo, superstar edition. She placed it inside. For added measure Ron tucked a lollipop under the plush figure's arm.

A short time later the casket was buried. Kim didn't watch. Instead she wondered over to the most surprising attendees. Dr Director and her small guard detachment remained clear of the funeral party, paying their respects from afar. Each of them dressed in full GJI regalia.

"I didn't expect to see you here. Do you regularly honour your foes?"

"The ones I pity, yes. The information he passed to us through Will did achieve a great deal of good. We dealt some heavy blows to Gemini and hampered imperial activities globally because of him. In truth though, Drews funeral isn't the reason I came. Or not the only reason. I came to talk to you."

"Me?"

"Your family as well. But mostly you."

As Nana Possible led Maeve Lipsky to their rented car, Ron struck up a conversation with Joe.

"I let her down Joe," he admitted, feeling ashamed.

"The veterinarian said Rufus's jaw will be fine, just a bit of a strain."

"No, I mean Kim. She was in danger, almost died, and I wasn't there to watch her back."

For the first time that Ron could remember Joe softened his tone until it almost sounded human. With great sincerity he said, "That's not the way I hear it kid. In fact, the way I hear it you committed a near suicidal dash across open ground with armed men standing in your way - to deliver the equipment Kim needed to escape Drakken. And before that you jumped a highly trained assassin to save her."

Ron allowed a grudging, "maybe."

"Both acts, of course, were stupid beyond belief," Joe chuckled, "but I'll never accuse you of being a clown again. In fact, I'm glad Kim found such a brave and loyal friend."

Joe finished his statement by ruffling Ron's hair, intentionally irritating the teenager. Ron brushed him away, though he was wasn't greatly annoyed. In fact he was smiling and trying to hide it.

Dr Director waited for James and Anne Possible before explaining her presence. "We rounded up most of Drakken's henchmen, though we believe several, including Shego, slipped through our net. Worse, William Du's remains were not present at his crash site. GJI agents are scouring the mountain range for him and every agency we liaison with have been alerted that he is public enemy number one."

Possibles paled at the thought of William Du still at large. The young man was the most ruthless of the foes they had faced and with his Global Justice training could not be underestimated.

"I'd like to apologise on behalf of Global Justice Initiative and myself. The moment you, Dr Possible, were kidnapped I should have thrown your family in a bunker surrounded by elite soldiers. I did not do so because I suspected I could use you to lure Dr Drakken from his lair. I believed you would be safe with GJI's top agent and his team camped out on your street. Clearly I made a horrific mistake. I had no idea Drakken's rot had spread so deep."

Neither Possible parent was happy with the explanation, although James was ready to admit, "I guess friends aren't always who we believe them to be. We don't see the monster until too late."

"Sometimes," Betty conceded. "Sometimes we watch friends go through seven kinds of hell we cannot begin to understand and they don't come back the person they were. And when that happens they slip though our fingers. I know. I've seen it."

The director laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "It wasn't wrong to be Drew's friend. In fact, nothing could be more right. Drew Lipsky of twelve years ago, the one you made godfather to your firstborn child, was not Dr Drakken."

James was not convinced. "If I believe that than I have to believe I could have stopped it somehow."

"You couldn't. But since that knowledge isn't going to help, trust me when I say believing you could hurt's a lot less than to just hate."

Kim felt uncomfortable. She remembered Wade's explanation about why he had purged Dr Director's diary from his drives; something concerning the fate of her husband and best friend. She had to keep her discomfort hidden with a smile when Dr Director shifted attention to her.

"In two days you saved the lives of every man, women and child in Middleton, including two of my agents and numerous employees of the Middleton Space Centre. You unmasked and locationed a vicious terrorist. Most astonishingly, you took on Shego in hand to hand combat and emerged the victor, twice. This nation, GJI and _I -_ owe you thanks Kim Possible."

Betty extended a warm hand. As Kim shoke it she added, "When you turn eighteen, I could use an agent with your skills."

"Can I?" Kim addressed her Mom and Dad. "Become and agent and save the world?"

"As long as your home by eleven…, _ouff."_

James clutched his side. Anne had elbowed very hard. "We'll talk about it." It was the most ground she was willing to give at the moment, and far than she wanted to concede.

"And Ron too?" Kim queried Director.

Betty wavered. "I'll review Mr Stoppable's case."

"I'm not saving the world without Ron," Kim made clear. Anne relaxed. Just a moment.

"But if you ever have a stitch, I have a website. Icandoanything. com._"_

"I'll keep that in mind."

...

Kim and Ron walked down Main Street together. Strolling along, trying to block out the world. After the events of the past few days they needed the time out. From the corner of his eye Ron noticed Kim poking her tongue out.

'"Are you trying to lick your own nose?"

"No," Kim replied innocently, refusing to meet Ron's gaze. Changing the subject she pointed to a poster for _Bricks of Fury III_. "Hey, you want to go to the movies?"

"Nah, seen it. Filled with too much advertising - oh look, Bueno Nacho!"

Rolling her eyes at Ron's knee jerk response spotting the familiar taco hut, Kim persisted with the movie idea.

"Alright, how about Fearless Ferret 2: The Fearless Defender? I know you've been dying to see it."

"Kim, you don't have to take me to a movie you don't want to see. I know you're sorry."

"In that case how's about the memo pad?"

"I could go for some Ferret-y action."

Sitting at the outdoor tables of Bueno Nacho and enjoying the warm day happened to be several members of the Middleton Cheerleading squad; the captain and her second, Amelia and Monique, also Bonnie, Tara and another Kim knew her name to be Farley.

"If you two walked any closer you'd be Siamese-twins," Monique commented on the sly. Kim flushed, telling Monique to, "_Get out_."

"Yeah, soon they'll have matching rodents making nests in their pants pockets. Won't it be cute?" Bonnie added. Her tone underlined the fact that she did not think it would be cute.

"Lay off," Amelia ordered them both. After Bonnie huffed her disapproval, Amelia addressed Ron directly. "We put it to a vote. The squad agrees you got the moves Stoppable, and you came through for us in that lunatic's mountain lair. We'd love to have you as our mascot." Her eyes flirted toward Bonnie. "Most of us."

"Subject to review of course."

Bonnie did not skip a beat. Amelia had only just finished welcoming Ron to the squad and she was already putting Ron in his place.

"Miss a practice, forget your routine, trip one of us up during your goofy performance; mess up in any way and we serve barbecued dog at our next beach party. This is _not_ going to turn into a fiasco like the time you volunteered with Kim at the hospital. _Bed pan_ suits of armour and a MRI _magnet_."

She may have been talking to Ron, but Bonnie never took her eyes off Kim, winking when she was finished. It had been another amusing tale Kim had let slip in her attempts in fit in with the girls. Her wink was a reminder of just who was responsible for handing out so much ammo to use against Ron; or perhaps a sign that Bonnie was still trying to "_save Kim's respectability"_. Her friends were truly disgusted with Bonnie for bringing the topic up now while they were trying to extend overtures of gratitude and friendship. Tara shock her head disapprovingly. Monique and Amelia looked like they wanted to do _far_ more.

"You just don't know when…," Monique began, tone dangerous.

"Oh, that was just some fun for the cancer kids," Kim interrupted her. "I told Ron it would cheer them up and things went horribly wrong. It wasn't funny. Not like the time I locked braces with Walter Nelson. Right Ron?"

"_Walter Nelson_?!" Ron started.

"Ron's mom had to drive us to the orthodontist, lips locked in backseat. Mom couldn't stop laughing when she found out, though Dad was less happy. I'll have to show you the x-ray sometime."

Amelia and Monique regarded Kim with pride and respect, smirking at Bonnie who now scowled. Tara and Farley laughed, at Bonnie's intimidation fail as much as the thought of Kim attached by her lips to a boy. Unheard because of the giggling, Ron quietly muttered in Kim's ear. "There weren't any cancer kids on that floor. And I thought you said any mention of Walter Nelson would have me sown inside your punching bag."

"If _you_ ever do the penalty remains," Kim said back softly, a jest with a hint of warning. When the girls had stopped giggling Kim voiced, "So, if Ron is now officially a member of the squad I assume the cheerleader initiation tradition applies?"

Bonnie's eyes went wide. "No!"

Too late. An evil glint had come all the other girl's eyes. They glanced at each other, wordlessly agreeing.

Ron did not like it….

* * *

**Credits**

"Cause I'm just a girl,

Little 'ol me,  
Well don't let me out of your sight.  
I'm just a girl,

All pretty and petite,  
So don't let me have any rights."  
Oh...I've had it up to here!"

* * *

…

Written By Mengsk

…

_The entire cheer squad invades the mall dressed in their finery. Kim, Monique and Tara drag reluctant Ron along for the ride. As per tradition their first port of call is Club Banana._

* * *

"The moment that I step outside  
So many reasons for me to run and hide.  
I can't do the little things I hold so dear  
'Cause it's all those little things  
That I fear."

"Cause I'm just a girl I'd rather not be,  
Cause they won't let me drive late at night.

Oh I'm just a girl,  
Guess I'm some kind of freak,  
Cause they all sit and stare with their eyes."  
I'm just a girl,  
Take a good look at me,  
Just your typical prototype!

Oh...I've had it up to here!"

* * *

…

Produced By Mengsk

…

_Now dressed in leather shoes, black jeans, a tight pink t-shirt and a black double breasted pea suit; Ron sits at a saloon booth with the cheerleaders occupying the booths extending out from either direction of him_._ The stylist gives Ron a shave, manicure and runs gel though his hair. Kim approaches from behind, the same ringlets Ron had dismissed earlier running down her right shoulder_.

_One of the stylists yelps and jumps back upon discovering Rufus waiting for service_.

…

Directed By Mengsk

…

_The girls try out numerous perfumes, urging Ron to tell them what he prefers. They do the same for him when he begins to experiment with aftershave_.

* * *

"Oh...am I making myself clear?"

"I'm just a girl  
I'm just a girl in the world...  
That's all that you'll let me be!"

* * *

…

A Voice That No One Listens To Production ('-')

…

_Tara and Farley press Ron into the nearest photo booth._

_The first snapshoot has them each kissing one of Ron's flushed cheeks_

_The second snapshoot Rufus pops up in front of the camera. Ron's face is blocked in a way it appears the girls are kissing Rufus._

_On the third snapshoot Tara and Farley are scrambling out of the booth, away from Rufus._

* * *

"I'm just a girl,

Living in captivity,  
Your rule of thumb makes me worry some.  
I'm just a girl, what's my destiny?  
What I've succumbed to is making me numb!  
I'm just a girl, my apologies,  
What I've become is so burdensome?  
I'm just a girl, lucky me,  
Twiddle-dum - there's no comparison!"

* * *

…

We are considering sending this script to the following….

George Clooney as Dr Drakken/Drew Lipsky

Liv Tyler as Shego

Shia LeBeouf as Ron Stoppable

Chris Rock as Rufus

Tyler James Williams as Wade Stoppable

James Earl Jones as The Kimmunicator

Sean Penn as Joe

Angelina Jolee as Betty Director

Geena Davis as Anne Possible

…

_The cheerleaders wait outside a trio of dressing rooms. _

"_Reveal," Kim commands._

_The trio of stalls opened and out step Tara and Monique, two ravishing creatures in heels. And from the centre stall steps Ron. Also in heels and a purple evening gown with a slit that shows off his right leg._

_The cheer squad cheers falls over laughing and screaming approval. _

* * *

"Oh...I've had it up to!  
Oh...I've had it up to!!  
Oh...I've had it up to here!"

* * *

_The cheerleaders sit on Kim's couch, wearing pyjamas and watching a movie._

_Ron enters the room carrying his seven layers of heaven chocolate cake._

_The squad cheers_.

* * *

**Uncharted Caribbean Island**

Jagged rocks thrust out of the turbulent ocean creating a high spire. In times long past a rogue pirate lord had seen fit to build a castle atop the pinnacle of this evil place, hanging skeletons around the forbidding shores as a warning to any who may think to disturb his place of solitude. On the horizon black storm clouds gathered. Flashes of lightning lit them up in thirty second intervals. A great hurricane gathered over the Caribbean basin and the island had the perfect view of its destructive formation. Around the island the sea was calm or at least calm as it got in this place with constant wave action going head to head with rocky outcroppings and cliffs. Nonetheless the storm was coming in.

Deep in the heart of the rocky island, in a room carved deep into the black volcanic rock, a room excavated making use of the islands cave systems, where the walls, ceiling and floor were all rough edged rock of the island, the villainess known as Shego relaxed under a tanning lamp. She lay out across an unfolded beach chair in the centre of the room. She wore sunglasses, a black and green bikini swimsuit allowing the light to reach most of her body and a green wrap around skirt made of light, silky material that felt good draped over her thighs. On a stool placed next to her was a small stack of magazines, a martini glass and chocolate.

The only light in the dimly light room came from the tanning lamp and the massive fireplace which looked like it could be the entrance to hell. It stood tall enough to admit an averaged sized person. Demonic gargoyles lined the outside and a henchman, on of those who had escaped with Shego in her buggy, kept it stoked so that the flames reached higher than him kneeling. Another henchman had fan duty, carefully raising and dropping a large sail so that a gentle breeze ran its cool fingers smoothly over Shego form. The third henchman stood to her right and a step back, holding a towel over his forearm and ready to respond to her every demand.

Moving shadows in the dim light alerted the henchmen to the new arrival. He casually walked down the stairwell and entered. Uncertain how to respond to his appearance they halted their assigned tasks. The man ignored them and Shego did no notice. She held out the empty martini glass expecting it to be taken immediately and refilled. When it was not she grew impatient.

"Hello?" she dangled the empty glass around in the air. The olive toothpick tapped the edge of the glass. . "Another martini? Can I have some service here, please?"

The newcomer's hand shot out and seized Shego by her wrist. His grip was so vicious and strong she dropped the martini glass. It shattered against the stone floor. Shego was removed from her beach chair by her wrist and forcefully stood up to stand nose to nose with her master.

He was a horrific sight. Bloodshot eyes with sunken pits underneath them. His once pale skin was now sky blue and leathery. The cut under his left eye had opened again. A thin trail of blood, coloured dark blue, so dark you could be forgiven for mistaking it for black, ran down his cheek. Even his formerly pitch black hair, still tied in a ponytail, seemed to have a blue hue to it in the dim light. All of his clothing had great tears and gashes. Shego and the henchman the man's entire body had been permanently stained blue.

Right hand still gripping her wrist tightly, he ran his left gently, though threateningly, over her neck. His hand smoothed over her skin and through her raven hair. It was almost seductive in nature. Perhaps it would have been had Shego not been so repulsed. Where the fingers of his black gloves had been torn his flesh made contact with hers. It sent cold shivers of fear down Shego's spine. Her legs grew weak.

"What's the matter my dear? You're trembling. You look like you've seen a ghost."

Dr Drakken shoved her back into the deck chair. The tanning lamp toppled and smashed. Satified, the doctor reeled to address his henchmen.

"If you want to survive the next 48 hours you _will_ find me the man they call Frugal Lucre."

**

* * *

**

Drakken's Demise


End file.
